Sister Overload
by KnightEstoc
Summary: Family is supposed to be close. Family is supposed to love each other. Kazuto just wished that his sisters wouldn't be so blatant about how much they loved him.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

* * *

It was shaping up to be a nice afternoon. I'd spent the morning finishing up my summer homework, so the rest of the day was dedicated towards relaxing and doing nothing important. I'd even finally managed to get that one drop that was being a total pain earlier, too. Argo was gonna be totally furious when he found out I got it first, without his help.

Yep, this was a nice day, and nothing was going to disturb my nap on the couch until dinner was -

A heavy weight decided to land square on my center. "Oof," I grunted, the wind rushing out of me, and cracked an eye open to glare at my sister as she mounted me.

"~Big Bro~! It's time to get up!"

"Yuuki," I grumbled. "What are you... No. Aiko, what is Yuuki doing?" I asked, tilting my head until I was looking at her upside-down.

Aiko looked up from the manga she was reading on her tablet and glanced our way. "I think it's the 'mounted wakeup call'," she said before shrugging and going back to her reading.

"I wasn't even asleep," I pointed out in a deadpan. "And it's after _five_ in the afternoon."

"Should you be telling _me_ that?" The elder twin lifted one leg from the armrest of the chair and lifted it up to drape over the backrest, her head getting closer to the other armrest.

"She _never_ listens to me," I pointed out.

"I'm right here," Yuuki complained, rocking back and forth in what I assumed was annoyance. The problem was, the end result was that anyone looking in from the outside saw something definitely improper.

"Yuuki!" I squawked, squirming until I managed to get out from under her, somehow ending up on the floor without knocking Yuuki off of the couch.

She pouted. "What is it now?"

"You shouldn't do that," I said.

Her Pout - and on her face, it definitely deserved the capital letter - intensified. "Why not?"

"Because it's really something siblings shouldn't be doing together," Aiko said when I struggled for words. "It's usually more of a lovers' thing." She had wriggled around so that she was lying stomach down, halfway over the armrest with her legs swinging freely in the air.

"Oh, then it's fine," Yuuki said, then glared at me. As close as she could get to a glare, anyway, since on her face it looked like an angry puppy. "Since he already said we weren't his real sisters."

I winced. "I didn't -"

"Yes you did." I looked up from where I'd ended up, against the arm of Aiko's couch, at Sugu, who was leaning over Yuuki's couch and glaring at me twice as hard as her younger sister.

"- mean it like that," I finished.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Yuuki said. "'Cause if we aren't real siblings, then I can marry you!" she added brightly.

My answer probably couldn't be classified as a word. My next plea, on the other hand... "Aiko, please..."

She just looked down at me, raising a delicate eyebrow.

If there was anyone that could get Yuuki to restrain herself, it was her twin sister. "Please?" I asked.

She smiled, and I felt a rush of relief. "Nope." And then I felt like crying. "You brought this on yourself, ~Big Bro~," she said, singing her voice with the exact same tone Yuuki used before, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"Oh, that's right," Sugu said conversationally, and I looked at her in hope of a reprieve. "Well, Kazuto, you could always fulfil your childhood promise and marry me. We're _only_ cousins, after all," she smiled sweetly.

"I don't remember ever making a promise like that," I said flatly, catching a glimpse of my mom standing behind Sugu.

She smiled, as if enjoying a private joke, and then said, "While I'm definitely a fan of good relations, no matter what kind of relations they are, how about you give Kazuto some space before he overdoses on estrogen." I'm saved! Thanks, Mom. "And dinner's ready."

A smirking Sugu and Aiko followed me to the dinner table, with a laughing Yuuki joining us not much later. "Like I was saying, I didn't mean it that way," I explained while I snagged my food. "I was surprised, because, well... I'd never thought you couldn't be... I never imagined you as anything other than my sisters."

"I imagined Bro as my lover a couple times," Yuuki said cheerfully, and a piece of fish went down the wrong pipe as her words registered.

I coughed a few times, then called her out on it. "Yuuki! That's -"

Or tried, anyway. "-Completely alright, since we're not related," Aiko said with a shrug, studiously not looking my way.

"Don't tell me..." I stared at her.

"Okay, I won't," she said with another nonchalant shrug - that was completely ruined by the wide, Cheshire Cat-like smile on her face.

I looked at Sugu.

She looked away, blushing fiercely.

I let out a sigh, trying to ignore how hot my own ears felt. _Sisters._

Maybe if I just ignore everything and pretend our family's something approaching normal...

* * *

I was just about ready to close myself in my room for my nightly gaming time with Argo when someone rapped lightly on my door. "It's open, Aiko," I said, knowing she was the only one who would knock like that. Sugu hit a lot heavier thanks to her muscles from kendo, and Yuuki didn't even bother knocking before bursting into my room and throwing herself on my bed. "What's up?"

"Just saying hi," my sister said, sitting on my bed and swinging her legs idly. A quick glance told me she'd just gotten out of the bath, since her long hair was still damp. "You know Yuu and I don't hold a grudge about what you said, right?"

"I figured. I still shouldn't have said it, though."

She smiled. "That's good, I was worried you might think we were mad at you," she said, before rising from my bed and padding over to me. "All of us do love you, Kazuto. The other two just have strange ways of showing it."

"And you don't?" I asked her. "If anything, you're worse than they are." Aiko never started anything, but she was _always_ ready to make any situation worse than it already was.

"Oh, don't say that." She wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned in close. "You'll hurt my feelings."

She was close enough that I could feel her breath on my cheek, and I could smell the flowery scent of her shampoo, and feel her hair tickling the back of my neck, and - "Out," I said abruptly. "You're just messing with me."

Aiko giggled, before giving me a swift peck on the cheek. "Have fun with your games, Kazuto."

"Sisters," I complained to Argo later that evening, while we were busy raiding a boss. "One would be bad enough, why do I have to be saddled with three? And they just won't leave me alone."

"Why're ya sayin' that?" he replied.

I rolled my eyes, even if we were voice chat only and he couldn't see. "Every day, it's something different. I mean, yesterday Yuuki decided that my spot on the couch was more comfortable than where she was sitting, so instead of just asking me to move she made herself at home on my lap. And then the day before that, I _swear_ Sugu was just waiting for me to walk by so she could exit the bathroom in her towel."

"Pfft," Argo snorted before his voice suddenly cut out. I glared at his character. I bet he was laughing and muted his mic so I wouldn't hear.

"I know you have a sister," I said to Argo a few seconds later. There was this one time we did a video call, and Argo had his sister talk to me instead. She was cute, with a mischievous smile, and I didn't really bother calling Argo on the swap. It was definitely something he'd do just to laugh at my reaction. "Does she do stuff like that? Also, boss gonna spam fire breath, buff us."

"I know," he replied, and his character started casting buffs on everyone in the party. "Eh, m' sis does some 'f the stuff yer talkin' 'bout. Not 'xactly like yer describin', less like she's tryin' ta seduce me an' more like she jus' doesn't care I'm aroun'."

I shrugged. "I guess."

"Should be done with the breaths in five, so get ready for DPS," Argo told me. "An' sounds ta me like yer sisters 're tryin' ta get ya to see 'em as women."

I blanked for a second as I processed that and almost missed my chance to start hitting the boss. "Don't say things like that, they're my sisters." I said.

"'Course they are," Argo drawled, and I grumbled under my breath. "Didn' ya tell me they were 'dopted or somethin'?"

"You're no help at all, Argo."

Later, after we beat the boss and dissolved the pickup party, I leaned back in my chair. "You said you got into the SAO beta, right?"

"Yeah, jus' like you," Argo replied. "Gonna be wild, yeah?"

I grinned. "Can't wait."

"Ya gonna be cool wi'out yer sisters? I mean, yer always talkin' 'bout how ya spend a lotta time with 'em, righ'?"

I shook my head. "Yeah, I'll be fine. The twins said they're gonna be getting a part-time job, and my other sister said she's gonna be busy too." Not sure why Yuuki and Aiko want a part-time job suddenly, but Sugu had another kendo tourney during the month of the SAO beta.

Argo snickered. "Well, I'll see ya in th' beta, 'kay? Later, Kirito."

"Later, Argo."

* * *

 _"Hello, Kazuto," the woman said with a smile. "My name is Midori Kirigaya."_

 _"...Hello?"_

 _"I'm your aunt."_

 _I inhaled sharply. My parents had... "Oh. Are you here to adopt me, then?"_

 _She smiled. "You're quick, just like your parents told me. Yes, I'm here to -"_

 _"Nooo!" a young girl's voice wailed. "You can't take Big Bro away from us!"_

 _I was tackled by a long-haired missile and knocked over, falling on my butt. "Ow... Yuuki," I complained. "That hurts."_

 _"And who are you?" Midori asked, looking a little confused._

 _"I'm, uh..." Yuuki trailed off and tightened her hug around my waist."_

 _"My name is Aiko," the elder twin said politely from where she was standing at the doorway. "That's my sister, Yuuki."_

 _Midori looked at the two of them, then looked at me. "Sorry, girls, can I speak with Kazuto alone?"_

 _Yuuki looked up at me, and I patted her head. "It's okay," I told her._

 _"Promise you're not gonna leave us?"_

 _"Promise."_

 _In an instant her smile was back. "Okay! Let's go, Sis!" She let go of my waist and hurried over to where Aiko was waiting before the two of them ran out of the room, Aiko leading like she usually did._

 _"They seem to care a great deal about you," Midori said once she'd closed the door again._

 _I scratched my cheek. "They... lost their mom and dad too."_

 _She sighed. "Oh... Well, I guess that changes things..."_

 _"You're not... going to..." I sniffled. I wasn't going to cry. I wasn't..._

 _"What? Oh, no no no, I'm still going to adopt you," she said hurriedly. "I just have to look into the paperwork for adopting three children instead of just one."_

* * *

"-zuto. Kazuto, wake up, it's morning."

I groaned and opened my eyes. "G'way, Sugu," I groaned. "'m sleeping."

My sister huffed. "If you don't get up, I'm letting Yuuki do the wake-up calls from now on."

I sighed. She was playing dirty and we both knew it. She made that threat every morning, but she still hadn't followed through with it. "Fine, fine, I'm getting up." I sat up, realizing after a second that I had a small problem. "Um, Sugu?" I asked her, and her eyes snapped away from my shirtless body. "Can you, y'know... go out, so I can get dressed?"

"Uh, yeah," she said. "Just don't go back to sleep or it's Yuuki coming in next."

"I'm already up," I protested.

After I got dressed, I opened my door and headed downstairs, still yawning. "Morning," I said as I sat down in my usual chair with a thump.

"Good morning, Kazuto," Aiko said lightly from her chair, where she was reading her tablet.

I took one look at her and felt my face burst into flame. "Aiko," I choked, "what are you wearing?"

"Hm?" she asked, glancing up at me and then down at the silky clothes that were _way_ too tight on her. "Oh, these are my new pajamas. Do you like them?" she asked, leaning forward.

I definitely reacted to that, and was glad that I was sitting down. Like Sugu and her twin, Aiko was an early bloomer.

"Morning," Yuuki called out, getting both of our attention.

And of course, she was wearing her new pajamas, too. When did they even buy those?!

"Oh, did you tell him yet?"

"Nn-nn," Aiko shook her head. "I was waiting."

"Tell me what?" I asked.

"Not yet, not yet!" Yuuki said hurriedly. "We have to wait for Sugu!" And Sugu was involved in whatever this was? Did I _want_ to know? It might be more of them making fun of me for what I said a few years back.

Shrugging, since I'd tried getting Yuuki to tell me her secrets before and I never succeeded, I got busy with eating my breakfast. I needed to eat a big breakfast and lunch, since today was the launch date for SAO. I couldn't wait until the servers went live.

Throughout all of breakfast, my sisters were all but vibrating in their seats. Whatever this secret was, it was definitely important. "Alright," I sighed, setting aside my breakfast dishes once I'd picked them clean. "So what are you three hiding?"

"Eheheh," Yuuki laughed. "Ready? Three, two, one!"

Simultaneously, all three of them pulled their surprise out from behind their backs and showed it to me.

I stared in shock at three identical copies of Sword Art Online.

"What?" I asked them. "How?"

Sugu grinned at me. "Well, we knew how excited you were about the game," she said, "and we wanted to have some fun, too! So since everyone else is going to be new to the game, this was the best time to have you teach us how to play."

"Yup!" Yuuki cheered, throwing up a V for Victory sign as she beamed at me. "Me and Aiko worked all August to be able to buy our copies. Sugu asked Mom for the prize money from her kendo tournament."

I sighed and folded my arms, looking at the three smiling girls in front of me. "And you're not going to let me say no, are you?" I sighed. When they all shook their heads, I sighed again. "Alright, alright, fine. We can play together. Just, go get your NerveGear calibration done first thing, and then we can figure out how this is going to work."

"I'm sleeping with Big Bro first!" Yuuki cheered.

I choked on the air, coughing to clear my throat. "What?" I rasped. "Yuuki, what-"

"Huh?" she asked, looking at me in confusion. "When we use the NerveGears, it's like sleeping, right? So I want to sleep on your bed next to you, Big Bro! I called it first!" Off to the side, Aiko looked away and muttered something, while Sugu frowned.

"O-oh..."

"Did you think I meant something different?" Yuuki asked me curiously.

"Not at all," I said flatly. She just giggled. After what she said during dinner yesterday, was it a surprise I jumped to a conclusion? Especially with the misleading way she said that.

The rest of the morning, I spent on my computer, watching a live stream on the sale of SAO. It was insane how long some people had to stand in line, and I wondered how long my sisters had waited to buy their copies.

When there was only ten minutes before the launch of the servers, I went out of my room and knocked on the door to Aiko and Yuuki's room. "Hey, you two," I said when Aiko opened the door. "Just wanted to let you know, when you log in you'll be in a large plaza. There's a fountain in front of you, so either find or wait for me there."

Aiko nodded, while Yuuki was busy grabbing all of the equipment for her NerveGear and holding it in her arms. As soon as I stepped to the side, the younger twin ran over to my room and headed inside. Right, yeah, I forgot about that. Somehow.

After giving Sugu the same heads up I gave the twins, I returned to my room to find Yuuki already curled up on my bed, waiting patiently for me. "C'mon, Big Bro, hurry up," she said, patting the bed. "It's almost one!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I said, already regretting not putting my foot down and insisting she Dive with Aiko. At least Aiko could get her twin to focus.

I got the NerveGear hooked up and snug on my head before I laid down. Yuuki, of course, immediately grabbed on to my arm and pressed it close to her chest, cuddling close to me. I blushed as I felt my arm trapped between two soft pillows, but it wasn't like I could say anything. "Ready?" I asked her.

"Yeah!"

"Link start!" we chorused.

My account data was still present, carrying over from the beta, so I didn't have to set up a new account. Instead, I was able to keep my beta avatar, saving me some time.

When my vision cleared, I looked around. Everything I could see was exactly how I left it, from the blue sky to the cobblestone under my boots. "Hello world," I said, grinning. "I'm back."

Like I'd expected, I was the only one of us actually finished, so I decided to take a break and wait, looking at all the new players to see if I could figure out which ones were my sisters.

All in all, it was surprisingly easy. Yuuki was the easiest one to pick out, since her appearance was virtually unchanged outside of her hairstyle and eye color. I almost missed her, since I was looking for her short black hair instead of the long flowing purple hair she was sporting, but the bright red headband she always wore to keep her bangs out of her eyes gave her away.

From there, it was easy to pick out Aiko; she had to be the one that was somehow keeping Yuuki relatively focused instead of bouncing off every wall in sight. Her appearance wasn't all that different from real life, either, just subtly different here and there. I guess the twins were satisfied with how they looked, unlike me.

I looked at the players talking to the twins. If they were Aiko and Yuuki, then that would mean that Sugu was...

I couldn't help staring. I mean, Sugu's avatar was blonde, with her long hair pulled back into a ponytail. But that wasn't the, uh, most striking change.

 _I will not think about my cousin's breasts, I will not think about my cous-SISTER's breasts, I will not think about my sister's breasts..._

My sisters talked to themselves for a few seconds before turning and heading toward the fountain, like I'd told them. I rose up from my seat and waved to catch their attention, and instantly Yuuki started running towards me. "Big Bro?" she asked, looking me over.

"It's me, Yuuki," I said. "Everything go okay?"

"Yep!" she said, beaming at me as Aiko and Sugu joined us. "What do you think of the avatars, Big Bro? Do we look cute or what?"

"Very cute," I agreed, patting her on the head. Yuuki giggled. "So, first things first, I'm going to send you all a party invite. When you see a panel pop up in front of you, hit Accept."

After I invited them all to a party and had everyone add each other to our Friends List, I glanced at the avatar names they'd chosen for themselves. Leafa was Sugu, Ran was Aiko, and... "Yuuki," I told her, "you're not supposed to use your real name for the name of your avatar."

"Tehehe," she laughed, bonking her head and sticking out her tongue. "My bad."

"Well, not like we can change it now," I sighed. "So, now that everything's set, we should head out to - Leafa? Is something wrong?"

She was staring at me intently, and I shifted under her scrutiny. "I don't like it," she said finally. "I like your normal face more, Kazuto."

"What's wrong with my avatar?" I protested, pride stung. I liked how I looked in SAO.

"It's not what we fantasize about at night," Ran said casually. I blushed, regretting that I'd asked. A quick glance showed me that Leafa was blushing too, though Yuuki was as casually cheerful as ever. "So, Kirito, where are we going? You were saying something before you got distracted?"

On one hand, I appreciate that she was getting down to business, but on the other hand could she do that so without the knowing, cat-like smug smile?

"Y-yeah," I said, coughing. "Like I was saying, now that we're all together let's head out to the fields, and I'll teach you how to fight."

"Okay~," my sisters chorused.

* * *

I felt... strange. Like I wasn't processing what I was hearing right.

 **...cannot log yourselves out of SAO, and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the NerveGear from your head.**

"Kazuto, I'm scared," Leafa said, pressing close to me. I wrapped an arm around her automatically, just like I did when she snuck into my bed during a thunderstorm.

On my other side, I felt two more warm bodies and shifted so that Ran and Yuuki could cuddle closer to me. I was their big brother, I was supposed to keep them safe. But this was my fault. I'd dragged them into this.

 **...no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar...**

If it were just me, I wouldn't... I wouldn't be so worried. I knew what I could do, and if I played my cards right I could make it to Horunka by tonight, grab the Anneal Blade and some quick levels. I didn't have anything to fear, at least until my beta knowledge ran out.

But it wasn't just me. My sisters were here too. Yuuki, Aiko, Sugu... They were in danger.

I couldn't just run off. I had to protect them.

 **...the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck.**

It still felt like a dream had suddenly turned into a nightmare, but I couldn't hesitate. "Let's go," I said, tugging at my sisters. They followed me, even Yuuki being unusually quiet. It might have been a combination of Kayaba's announcement, or how we'd been returned to our real-life appearances, but seeing my normally energetic sisters like this made something twist in my stomach. They were supposed to be happy.

Once we'd slipped out of the crowd of screaming and panicking players and made our way into one of the alleys, I stopped and turned to face my sisters. "Okay," I said. "The way I see it, there's a few different options, but the safest thing to do is for you three to find an inn nearby and rent rooms. The starting amount of Col won't last long, but I'll send more, I promise."

Yeah. The best thing to do was to make sure they were safe. If I was by myself, I could fight without worrying that they'd -

"No!"

I stared in shock. "Yuuki, you have to -"

"I said no," she repeated, frowning at me. "You can't just leave us alone. You promised, remember?"

I sighed. "Ran..." If her twin asked her, Yuuki would go along with the plan. "Please, you have to -"

"Nope," Ran said, folding her arms. "We won't let you just abandon us and put yourself in danger."

"Yeah!" Leafa added. "I'm not going to let the person I love do everything," she said. "You taught us how to fight, so we want to fight with you."

I studied all of them, watching me with fire in their eyes, and then sighed. I'd never been able to say no to them, especially when they really, _really_ wanted something. "Okay," I said finally and against my better judgment. "But that means we have to work extra hard to stay safe."

My sisters smiled. "Hooray!" Yuuki cheered. "Wait... Darn, this means we don't get to use Plan B!"

"...Plan B?" my mouth asked before my brain could stop it.

"Oh, that one's a lot of fun," Yuuki said cheerfully. "We'd just take turns kissing you until you agreed. Whoever gets you to agree gets to be your lover first!"

"...That's..."

"Still completely acceptable," Ran said, giving me a wide Cheshire-like grin.

At least Leafa wouldn't look at me, even if her luminescent blush and dreamy smile gave away exactly how she felt about Plan B.

I wish they would at least _try_ to hide it...

* * *

 **So hey check out this stupid thing that I'm doing**

 **This story originated from a plot idea I found while reading a forum thread on SAO ideas, and I found a snippet where Yuuki and Ran were also Kazuto's siblings, and then the idea just wouldn't leave me alone so I'm writing it for shits and giggles and also because I want to write things other than Nightblade from time to time.**

 **The first scene is mostly the other person's original snippet, so credit to that guy/girl, though I shifted it around a little for shenanigan reasons. Everything else is pure Knight, don't worry (that's why its terrible i know right)**

 **Two main points of AU divergence: one, Yuuki and Aiko's mom died, so they never got the blood transfusion so they never got HIV because these two are precious babies and nothing bad should ever happen to them. And two, Kazuto's adoption took an extra year or two to go through, so he's old enough that he knows that Midori is his aunt and not his mom. (also Argo is still Argo, Kazuto's just a dumb idiot when it comes to girls (Argo's sister mentioned is her older sister))**

 **Story stuff:**

 **1) Point of view is consistently first person. Probably going to stay in Kazuto's head. It'll lose out on some shenanigans later, but meh, I like it in here, it's comfy.**

 **2) This story might end up a little… explicit? Given the subject matter, that shouldn't be a surprise. Anything physical will happen off-screen, since underage kids and all that, but the first chapter should be a good indicator of about where this story will be heading. Probably the most explicit thing I'll be discussing is nudity, and even then it'll be like 'Yeah their clothes are gone MOVING ON.'**

 **3) In this case, incest equals win-cest. Happy days!**

 **4) The main focus won't be on fighting, but on the shenanigans Kazuto's sisters will get into while trying to get into his pants. Slow burn on romance, mainly because Kazuto's a shy boy.**

 **5) Update schedule is 'Whenever the heck I feel like it.'**

 **Right, that should be everything! Enjoy, folks. Kazuto's sister problems have begun~**

* * *

Also you might have noticed the default story image, it'd be fantastic if some kind soul could whip up a cover for this. (/shameless begging)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

It had been two months since the start of the death game, and things were going... well. None of us had gotten hurt, at least, which was a win in my book.

Now, if only my sisters would treat the Labyrinth with the care it deserved, instead of using our exploration as a chance to bicker about something meaningless like training.

"I'm just saying," Leafa pointed out to Yuuki, "Kazuto and I were doing kendo for a while, so he can help me with my sword technique!"

Yuuki pouted. "You're just saying that so you can spend time with him," she complained. "And you're using a curved sword, not a long sword like me and him. It makes more sense for you to do drills while he works with me!"

I sighed, shaking my head, and looked at Ran. At least she was up front with me, her spear resting loosely on her shoulder while she walked next to me. "Can't you get them to focus?" I asked her. She could get Yuuki to pay attention, and then if I asked Leafa, she'd focus. I would do it myself, but, well, getting their attention while they argued was rarely a good idea.

Ran just gave me a sly smirk. "Will you make it worth my time?"

By the way she lightly pressed at her lips with a finger, I had a good feeling what she meant by that. I didn't say anything, but my blush probably told her everything she wanted to know.

I studiously stared ahead, back straight and mind definitely not in places it shouldn't be. They were my _sisters_ , even if we weren't blood related. Nothing else.

It was also really weird, seeing an expression like that on my little sister's face, especially since she was two years younger than me.

When I heard the sounds of metal on metal, I almost let out a sigh of relief. Finally, battle, something to distract the girls. "Heads up," I called out, and Leafa and Yuuki immediately stopped their little back and forth to put hands on weapons. "We might have something."

Ran was our support, technically, but since Yuuki, Leafa, and I all went for high DPS, that meant she was our tank. While she distracted the monsters, we'd carve them up from the sides. That was why she took point, spear held carefully in front of her.

After we rounded the corner, though, we all relaxed, because we weren't going to be fighting this battle.

I watched in amazement as the red-cloaked figure in front of us fought against one of the Kobold Sentinels, the most common mob in the Labyrinth. I could tell she was a new player just by the way she spammed Linear over and over again, but it had to be the most perfect Linear I'd ever seen. They dodged blows by swaying just a bit, which was risky; if they made a mistake they'd take huge damage, but it put them in the perfect spot to counter with another lightning-fast Linear. If there had been anyone using such a high-risk high-reward strategy in the beta, I would have heard about it.

As the Kobold Sentinel took another Linear to the throat and died, the red-hooded player just stood there, silently, before taking a few tottering steps and slumping against the wall. There was none of the grace I'd seen in the fight. I looked at Ran and she blinked back at me, and I shrugged. "...That was overkill," I said out loud, stepping forward.

I don't know why I spoke up, really. They were doing their own thing. Maybe it was because I'd spent two months taking care of my sisters, but I felt like I had to say something.

The hood shifted, jerking as the person inside snapped their eyes towards me. I could only make out the brown color of their eyes, and nothing about the person wearing the hood. Silently, their head tilted a little bit, asking me what I meant.

"Overkill means that you did more damage than you needed to kill it. Back then, that Kobold was almost dead after your second Linear. You could have won with just a regular attack, not another Linear."

The rapier user didn't reply for ten seconds, long enough for me to shift my weight awkwardly and glance at my sisters in case they knew why the player was staying silent. None of them seemed to know what was going on, either.

"...What's wrong with overkill?" the player finally asked me.

That was the moment that I realized that the person in front of me was one of the rare female players in the game. Back when we played MMOs together Argo's higher-pitched voice had fooled some people into thinking he was a girl, but this person in front of me was undeniably female.

Now, I'm not saying that they didn't exist. Exhibit A, my own party members. It was just that most of the girls in the game were, to my knowledge, still in the Starting City. I wouldn't have guessed that the solo player in front of me was one of them.

For an instant, I thought about just giving an apology and taking my party with me. On the other hand, she'd asked a question, and I had an answer to give her. "According to the system, nothing. But using Sword Skills like that is a drain," I replied. "On your equipment, on your weapon, and on your stamina. You'll get tired. And then you'll be exhausted when it's time to return." It took at least an hour to reach the entrance to the Labyrinth, and then another half hour to reach the closest town.

The girl was silent for a bit longer this time. "...If that's it, then it's not a problem. I'm not returning."

"What?" I asked, staring at her. "Not returning? What about potions, or fixing equipment? And sleep?"

Her shoulders shifted slightly. "I don't need medicine if I'm not taking damage. And I have more rapiers in my inventory. As for sleep, I rest in the Safe Zone."

The Safe Zones were places in dungeons and the Labyrinth where monsters couldn't enter and attack the player. They were safe, yeah, but I couldn't understand using them for more than a short rest. They were cold and uncomfortable, without any comforts the inns offered, and monsters still spawned nearby and made noise. Deep sleep was basically impossible - we'd tried a few times since the start of the death game, but every time my sisters and I ended up huddling together for warmth and couldn't get a good rest.

"Um..." Leafa asked, placing a finger on her cheek and tilting her head in thought. "...How long have you been doing that?"

"...Three days, maybe four..." the rapier user replied before slowly struggling to her feet. "Is that everything? The monsters will respawn too." She turned and started walking away, her slender rapier dipping in her hand like it weighed as much as a two-handed sword.

I stared at her retreating back, until Ran leaned close. "Kirito," she whispered, "look at her cloak." I studied the red hood and saw what Ran noticed; the cape was tattered and torn, barely maintaining its shape. For it to be in that state - cloth equipment in general, and especially the non-essential ones, had low durability - meant she _had_ to be telling the truth about how long she'd been in the Labyrinth.

Fortunately, I was watching while she walked away, which was why I was able to react so quickly when she stiffened like she was struck by an invisible paralysis attack and collapsed.

"Wha?!" Leafa and Yuuki gasped. Ran and I exchanged a quick panicked glance before I bolted forward.

I leaned down over the fighter and checked, but she still had health. It looked like she just passed out from exhaustion. "She's okay," I said, kneeling down and picking her up in my arms. "Let's get her out of here so she can recover."

"A bride carry!" Yuuki whispered to Leafa.

"I'm so jealous..." she replied.

I sighed. "Not the time, you two."

Exiting the dungeon took the hour I expected, but we'd cleared out the enemies on the way up. The trip was uneventful, and before long we were resting outside under a nearby tree. The cool breeze felt nice, and it was a good place to take a break. The clearing meant we could see enemies coming, and the tree providing shade was something that could stand at our backs if we had to fight.

Fortunately, though, the enemies didn't bother us, and the girl slept peacefully for a while. She wasn't the only one, either; I was resting against the tree, sword in my lap when I suddenly felt weight on both shoulders. The twins had been pushing themselves hard, and I smiled as I glanced down at their sleeping faces, Yuuki on my left and Ran on my right. Leafa was off to the side, busy going through her menu while shooting me glances. When she caught me watching her, she blushed and buried herself in her menu.

We passed the time like that, the twins asleep against me, and Leafa and I taking the chance to relax. It was definitely something we needed, getting to take a break and just sit down instead of pushing forward, never stopping.

Fifteen minutes into the enforced vigil, I yawned. "Leafa, would you mind keeping watch?"

"Okay, Kazuto."

With that taken care of, I leaned back, careful not to disturb the twins, until my head was resting on the sheath of my blade. It really was a nice day out, with the sun... shining... I'm getting a little sleepy myself...

...

When I woke up, I realized I'd made a mistake. Namely, I'd fallen asleep in a location where more than one person could comfortably sleep side by side.

It's important to know, first off, that I'd been in the same bed as the twins before. Back at the hospital, they tended to sneak into my room at night and get in bed with me. I was pretty sure the nurses knew but didn't bother doing anything, since we were all too young to know better and because it kept the twins happy.

That experience was why I could identify which twin was doing what.

Yuuki tended to wriggle around in her sleep, and that explained why she was lying across my chest, hair splayed out around her head like a black halo. My hand _had_ been around her shoulders when I went to sleep, but now they were around something, uh, a lot softer and a lot more inappropriate for siblings to be touching. I couldn't even move my hand, because somehow Yuuki had managed to wrap her legs around my arm, pinning it in place.

Meanwhile, Ran was very affectionate while asleep and liked to cuddle, so she was pressed up against my other side with my arm wrapped around her and resting intimately on her hip, her head laying on my upper arm and preventing me from moving at all. I tried to shift, but Ran just murmured sensually in her sleep and rolled closer to me, forcibly attracting my attention to the warm and very soft cushions that were pressing against my side.

I rolled my eyes wildly at Leafa for help, but she just smirked at me. "You made your bed," she told me archly, "so lie in it. Or... with it?"

"Leafa," I groaned. When she didn't seem like she was going to bother helping me, I sighed. "Yuuki, Ran," I cajoled, "please, wake up."

Ran was the first one to stir, and when she finally woke up she lifted her head, allowing me to free my trapped arm. From there, I could gently poke at Yuuki's cheek, bothering the younger twin until I felt her breathing hitch. Nature took its course and before too much longer Yuuki was untangling herself from me, rubbing at her eyes. "Phwah..." she murmured sleepily. "And I was having a good dream, too..."

I knew better than to ask about what her dream was about.

The sound of rustling cloth distracted me and I looked over to where the fencer had been asleep. I was relieved to see that she was finally awake and looking around. Her hood turned towards me, and I grinned. "You're awake," I said simply. "That's good."

"...Why?" she croaked out in a hoarse voice.

Why, what? I frowned, only to realize what she was talking about a second later. "Why did we save you?" Her hood rustled as she nodded silently. I scratched at my cheek. "Well, because it was the right thing to do? It's not like we could just leave you to die, right?"

"What does it matter?" she asked, and I was surprised by the sheer level of defeat in her cracked voice. "We're all going to die anyway. Two thousand people died in just one month, but the first floor hasn't even been cleared yet. There's no way we're going to be able to clear this game, so the only difference is where and how you die -"

"That's not true!"

I blinked in shock and looked at Yuuki as she stared at the fencer, eyes blazing with energy. "That's not true," she repeated. "There's a lot of people that are fighting to clear the game, you know? Like us! And we have a shared goal that we're all working towards, so there's no _way_ we're gonna die!"

She clenched a fist and beamed at the fencer. "Sometimes you gotta fight, even if it seems like there's no reason," Yuuki said. "You're fighting right now, right? To beat the floor and clear the game? So it's not meaningless, not at all. As long as one person is fighting, we still have a chance."

Yuuki... Where was this coming from? She was always cheerful, yeah, but she _never_ said things like that, as far as I knew. She would always happily follow me, or go along with whatever Ran decided, but I'd never expected her to sound so inspirational.

The fencer didn't reply for a few seconds, before slowly wobbling to her feet. "I'll be going now," she said quietly.

"Wait," I said suddenly. She hobbled forward a few steps, ignoring me, but I wasn't finished. "Yuuki's right. If you're still fighting, then you have _some_ reason. Whatever that is, I think you'd be better off if you come to the meeting this afternoon."

"...Meeting?" She didn't even turn back to face me.

I nodded. "This afternoon, in Tolbana, there's going to be a strategy meeting for how to deal with the first floor's boss."

* * *

"I'm impressed, Yuuki," I said as we walked to the town center, where the meeting would be taking place. "You were... really cool back there."

"Yeah!" she said, giving me a grin. "Praise me more, Big Bro!" Ran and Leafa giggled.

I was saved from having to answer that by arriving at our destination. "Looks like it's almost time to start," I said instead. "Let's hurry up and get a seat."

"Okay~," my sisters chorused.

The amphitheater was in the center of town, making it Tolbana's main attraction. In the beta, it had hosted a bunch of duels while players watched and cheered on whatever fighter they wanted to win. I never really took part, mainly because I was more interested in exploring the upper floors.

Now, though, it was only filled with fifty or so players, leisurely chatting among themselves while we all waited for the meeting to start. I took a seat near the top of the amphitheater, only two rows down from the entrance, and then sighed and buried my face in my hands as the usual routine began to unfold. Apparently, the seats on either side of me were hot commodities, and each one of my sisters were bound and determined to claim that seat for herself. Naturally, the ties of family were completely disregarded, and even Yuuki and Ran were bitter enemies.

While the squabbling went on, I looked around then hissed, "Knock it off, you three, people are staring."

Fortunately, they stopped, and Leafa muttered an apologetic, "Sorry, Kazuto." She sat to my left and Ran to my right; Yuuki looked almost mutinous for a second before her face brightened. Before I could stop her, she sat down right in front of me and wriggled until I was forced to spread my legs and accommodate her.

She leaned back into my chest with a happy sigh, and I sighed as Ran and Leafa muttered under their breath. Eventually, we'd end up like a normal family, right? This couldn't last forever, right?

...Right?

A flash of red distracted me from my internal pleading with whatever higher power might be listening, and I realized the hooded fencer had shown up after all. Yuuki started shifting back and forth with a satisfied grin as she caught sight of the girl as well, and I just had to hope she had no idea how this would look to everyone else. "Yuuki," I said in a strangled voice, "sit still, please."

"Again?" she complained, and I could hear the Pout in her voice even without looking at her face. "What am I doing wrong _now_?"

Ran leaned over my arm. "It's another one of those things that's only acceptable for lovers and not sisters, which means that it's okay for us since we're not blood related. Right, Kirito?"

I gave the older twin a sour look, and she just grinned slyly. There was no good answer to that question, and - "Hey," I said, pointing down at the amphitheater, where a blue-haired player was walking towards the center stage, "it's starting."

Ran and Leafa smirked at me, clearly catching the dodge, but they didn't say anything as we settled in for the meeting.

It was actually a lot more inspiring than I'd expected, given that we were all a bunch of gamers. Diavel, the blue-haired guy who'd called the meeting, was incredibly good at playing the crowd, breaking the ice with a self-deprecating joke and then somehow managing to herd upwards of fifty players into fighting to accomplish the same goal. I'd played other MMOs, so I knew exactly how impressive that could be.

When he paused to let everyone group up into parties, I expected my sisters to be adamant about our party just being the four of us, so I didn't manage to stop Yuuki before she was already halfway over to the fencer.

By the way Miss Fencer leaned away from my sister, I figured she was being her usual enthusiastic self, and decided to go over and rescue the poor player. "-and I'm so glad you came! You should definitely join with our party!" Yuuki was saying as my other sisters and I approached them. "You will, right?"

"Yuu," Ran said, tapping her twin on the shoulder, "back off a bit. I think you're scaring her."

"Okay," Yuuki said obediently, stepping back to stand beside her siblings.

I grinned, shaking my head at how easy it was to wrangle my unruliest sister once Ran got involved, before looking at Miss Fencer. "Sorry about my sister," I said apologetically. "She gets... excited. But you _are_ welcome to join our party, since it looks like everyone else has partied up."

The girl studied me, her expression hidden by the shadow of her hood, but eventually nodded. Since I was the leader of our party, it fell to me to invite her; after I saw the window pop up in front of her, she hesitated for a second and then pressed the Accept button. Her name appeared in the corner of my vision, and I took a quick look - Asuna.

Hm. That's a pretty name.

…

"Ugh," Leafa complained later, after the meeting had finished. "Just listening to that cactus guy made me feel angry. I want to just relax."

"I know," Ran nodded. "I can't believe he was saying things like that. If Agil hadn't stood up and said something, I would have."

I looked over at Yuuki, who, strangely enough, wasn't complaining like the other two. "Yuuki? Why are you grinning like that?" I asked her.

"Heheh," she giggled. "Because Big Bro was holding me tight the whole time!"

"Not like that," I complained. "Because if I let go, you would have challenged Kibaou to a duel, and we really don't need that kind of attention right now."

"At least I'll have happy dreams tonight!"

I sighed, even as Leafa and Ran giggled. "Just... whatever," I groaned. "Let's just go back to the room."

Leafa nodded. "Good idea... I want to take a bath."

"Go ahead," I said. "I'll take mine after you're all done."

"Aww," Yuuki complained, "we haven't taken a bath together in _ages_!"

Just then, an iron grip wrapped around my upper arm, and I froze. Why was Asuna grabbing me? When I turned around, her hazel eyes were boring into me like she was trying to stare a hole through me. "Um..." I said slowly when she didn't say anything. "Can I help you?"

"You mentioned a bath," she said, still staring at me. I don't think she's blinked once. "How?"

"There's a farm, just outside of town," I said, trying to lean away from her. She just leaned closer. "We're renting a few rooms, and they come with free milk and a bath."

Leafa coughed awkwardly when Asuna didn't say anything else but still didn't let me go. "Uh, would you like to come over? You can use the bath if you'd like..."

Asuna finally let go of me, and I sighed in relief, absently rubbing at my arm. "Thank you for offering," she said primly. "I'd like that a lot."

Women...

She pushed back her hood, revealing her face to us for the first time, and my eyes widened. "Pretty..." Yuuki murmured almost jealously as she stared at Asuna's long chestnut-colored hair and pale skin.

"If we're going to be working together," Asuna said, "I... guess it's okay if I take off my hood."

"Hello!" Leafa waved. "I look forward to working with you, Asuna."

Yuuki bounced up and down, grinning. "That's Leafa, and that's my sister Ran. This's my big brother, Kirito! And I'm Yuuki, though I guess you know that already, heh."

Asuna jerked. "H-How do you know my name?"

Leafa tilted her head. "Eh? But it's under our health bars. Can't you see ours?"

"Where?"

I raised a finger and pointed at the top-left corner of my vision. "Right here," I said. "In the top left, right under your health bar. Our names should be there."

Asuna tried to look, but she moved her entire head. Sighing, I reached out and placed my palms on her cheeks, keeping her head in place just like I'd done for my sisters when teaching them the basics. "Just look, don't move your head," I told her.

Her eyes flicked up and to the left, and she blinked in surprise before saying, "Oh, there it is."

"See?" I said, letting go and stepping back. When I looked at my sisters, they were all pouting, cheeks puffed out in irritation. "...What?"

"Nothing," they all said simultaneously. I was pretty sure it wasn't nothing, but they didn't want to tell me.

 _Sisters..._

When we got back to our room, Asuna and my sisters immediately went into the bathroom. If it were just me, I would have rented only one room with a single bath, but my sisters were with me, so we'd ended up with one of the larger rooms, the kind with several beds. That one came with a larger bath, with enough room for all four girls.

It worked for me, since it meant I usually had some time to myself while my sisters were busy in the bathroom. And despite what they always offered, I never joined them.

While I was sitting back and relaxing, my message notification went off, and I sighed. Only one person would be messaging me, since my sisters were in the other room. And if Argo was messaging me, that meant he was extending another offer on behalf of whoever was trying to buy my Anneal Blade.

I opened the message and scanned it - 'They've upped the price again, Kirito. 29,800 Col. You finally gonna sell, or do I tell them no again? Also, sorry for not doing this in person, but I have all kinds of fires to put out thanks to that idiot cactus's show earlier.' - before letting out another sigh. Whoever this person was, they really wanted my sword. But I knew I could take this sword to at least the third or fourth floor, and while 29.8k Col would be a huge windfall, survival was more important.

I didn't even know who was trying to buy my sword, since they'd paid a thousand Col to keep Argo quiet. Since Argo was Argo and he sold anything and everything, I could try to raise the hush money and buy the name, but it wasn't _really_ worth it. I sent a quick message back telling him my answer was still no deal, and sat back to organize my inventory and get ready for the boss fight tomorrow afternoon.

The door to the bathroom opened some time later and I looked up to see Asuna walking out. She stopped and looked at me. Some strange emotion played over her face before she shook her head and said, "Thank you for loaning me your bath. I'll be going now."

"See you later," I said, raising a hand in a wave as she left.

After the door closed behind Asuna, Sugu came out of the bathroom dressed in her casual sleeping clothes. She flopped down on the bed beside me, hair still wet from her bath, and I sighed. "Sugu," I said plaintively, "are you _sure_ you won't wear something else to bed?"

"Huh?" she asked me innocently. "Why would I?"

"Because I can see your bra," I said, not looking at my cou-sister. Yes. My sister. Sugu is my sister and she won't be anything else, no matter what she claims I promised her.

"Oh," she replied. "Well, it's okay if it's you. After all, you promised to marry me, remember?"

I just groaned. "Anyway, what did you and the twins say to Asuna? She looked at me funny when she left."

Sugu shrugged, arching her back slightly and letting her shirt rise up to reveal pale skin oh come on she had to be doing that on purpose. "Not sure," she said. "She just asked us what we were fighting for, and we told her what we wanted."

"…You didn't tell her anything _weird_ , right?"

Sugu blushed and looked away.

Of course she did. "Oh, come on…"

* * *

 **Look at that, my muse cooperated for once. I'm almost impressed.**

 **And so the saga of Kirito's girl troubles continue. First, he has his sisters constantly arguing and jockeying for position (which, let's be honest, I'm having what is probably too much fun writing) in his heart; and now he has Asuna in the playing field. I'm not going back on my word about the focus of the story, I'm just… stirring the pot. Making things difficult for Kirito because there's no such thing as too many girl problems for that guy.**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

I blinked rapidly before raising my hand to shield my eyes from the sudden brightness of the Second Floor. It was a huge difference from the stairs between floors, and even expecting it I needed a few seconds to let my vision adjust.

"Hey, Kirito," Ran asked, pressing up against my back. Looks like her eyes weren't adjusting quickly either. "Should we just be standing around like this?"

"It's not a problem," I said with a chuckle. "Monsters won't spawn on the path between the floor entrance and the nearest town. It's so the players don't get killed immediately after a tough boss." At least, that's how it had been during the beta. I couldn't really trust all of my beta knowledge anymore, not after what happened with Illfang.

A few seconds later, I knew my sisters' eyes had finished adjusting to the bright sunlight. "Wow!" Yuuki gasped in awe, head swiveling around to take in all the sights immediately. "Look at it! It's so wide open!"

The Labyrinth had exited on the side of a cliff, giving us a pretty good view of the floor we'd just fought the boss to reach. It was, like Yuuki said, wide open, with flat-topped mountains in the distance looming over the plains that made up most of this floor. I knew from the beta that the south half of the floor was a lot narrower than the north half, with the mountains being closer together with sharper cliff faces and deeper valleys.

Before we could get too distracted, I started for the stairs that would lead us off the cliff and down to the ground; and from there it would only be about a kilometer until we reached Urbus. "Let's go," I told my sisters. "We have to get to Urbus before people start following us."

"Okay~" they chorused, falling in line behind me.

We arrived at Urbus safely and I had to keep a grip on Yuuki's wrist to keep her from immediately running off to explore. "Aw, Big Bro," she complained.

"We have to activate the Teleport Gate first, Yuuki," I said.

"Fine..."

When we reached the center of town, I took a deep breath. "Alright, here's the plan. Once we activate the portal, we'll have only a few seconds before people start flooding the new town. And I'm pretty sure a lot of them won't be happy with us."

Ran sighed. "I tried, I really did..."

"Thanks, Ran," I told her. "Sticking up for me like that meant a lot. But they weren't going to listen to sense."

"I know... It just bothers me, that's all. Making you out to be the bad guy, just because you tried to save Diavel."

I ruffled her hair and she squawked, ducking away before glaring at me and fastidiously fixing what I'd ruined. Unlike Yuuki's puppy-glare, Ran could actually look intimidating. "Anyway," I said, "the rooftops here are all about the same height, so they're easy to jump across."

Yuuki let out a cheer of excitement, and Leafa looked like she was about to start bouncing from excitement. "Head into the alleys," I told them. "You should be able to jump up to one of the buildings from there. I'll join you after I activate the Gate."

They let out a simultaneous sound of agreement and headed off towards the nearest alley, though Leafa glanced back at me once. I waved and she waved back before following the twins.

After they'd had a few seconds to get a head start, I sighed and turned back to the Gate. I would only have a few seconds before activation and the first players arriving to celebrate the milestone victory, and I'd need to-

Shaking my head to stop myself from losing my nerve, I took a deep breath and then carefully pressed my palm against the smooth stone. It erupted into bright light, the carved letters shining with blue luminescence.

I turned and bolted for the alley my sisters had disappeared into, already hearing the sound of the the Gate activating behind me. I didn't hear any shouts as I ducked into the shadows of the alley. A few steps later and I jumped, briefly resting my weight on the side building's window before jumping to the next. From there I jumped up and grabbed the edge of the next building's roof.

As I began pulling myself up, I pushed against the wall below me - and my foot slipped. My heart lurched as I lost my grip and felt gravity start to take over-

-for a second before a firm grip grabbed my wrist. "Kazuto!" Leafa hissed, panic gleaming in her eyes. "Hang on!"

"Thanks," I gasped out. "Help me up?"

I kicked off the wall again as Leafa pulled me up, and between the two of our efforts I made it over the wall onto the roof easily.

Too easily, actually; I hit the roof and stumbled from the leftover momentum, crashing into Leafa and knocking her over.

When I got my bearings back, I realized my head was resting on two very soft pillows, and immediately scrambled to my feet. "Sorry," I said, not looking at my sister. I didn't want to see the expression I knew would be on her face.

"Nothing to be sorry about," she said, sounding like the cat that got the canary. Had... had she _planned_ that?

Of course, since I was looking away from Leafa that meant I was looking at the twins, and they were both looking down at their own chests, faces screwed up in irritation. "Not fair," Ran muttered.

"I drink a lot of milk, too," Yuuki complained.

"...I'm a year older than you two?" Leafa offered.

I just sighed and shook my head. I'm not dealing with this.

* * *

The first item of business, now that we were safe on the rooftops for a few minutes, was to lick our wounds from the boss fight. A round of health potions did the job nicely, and I sighed with relief at the comforting sight of four full green health bars in the corner of my vision. "Well, Kirito," Ran said, absently fiddling with her ponytail before splaying out on the roof, "what now? Should we go restock on supplies?"

"Let's give it a half hour," I said after looking out over the main street. A lot of players that were swarming the NPC vendors on the street would be lower leveled and just want to explore the new town; the bulk of the clearing teams would probably already be out exploring the plains and searching for new grinding grounds. In a half hour, the rest of the fighters would be gone and the sightseers would be back in their favorite town. "Until then, just relax, I gue-ess."

My voice hitched when I got a sudden message notification. "Something wrong?" Ran asked, squirming in place until she looked like her torso took a sudden right angle from her hips.

"Message," I said absently. "From... Argo?"

"We still haven't met him," Leafa said. "Didn't you say you two played together in the beta?"

"Busy, I guess," I shrugged. "Let's see what he wants..."

I scanned the message quickly, then took a second, more careful look. 'Hey, Kirito, just sending you and your sisters a quick thanks for what went down in the boss. I know it looks bad, but I'll do what I can and try to get people to calm down. In the meantime, you took some pressure off me, so I guess I owe you one. Consider the fee for any one question waived~ So think carefully about what you want to know :3'.

"Huh," I said finally after reading out loud for the benefit of my sisters, even if Yuuki had casually read over my shoulder, the end of her hair tickling my neck. "He must really be grateful."

"Why's that?" Leafa asked. Meanwhile, I'm not sure how, but Ran had raised her legs in the air, balancing roughly on her shoulder blades, and as I watched her balance wavered until she crashed, flopping to the side.

Smiling at the older twin's antics, I told Leafa, "Because he's offering us information for free."

Argo was notorious during the beta for selling anything and everything, and even now he'd started to re-earn that reputation. As far as I knew, the only thing he'd flatly refuse to sell was whether a player was a beta tester or not. Everything else was fair game, as long as you could pay. So to have a price waived for any question I wanted...

"Oh, I know what to ask," I grinned. "Let's see... 'What's the source of your whiskers?' And... send."

Argo was well known for his mercenary nature, but he was _also_ well known for a certain aspect of his character. And it wasn't that he crossplayed with a female avatar; I didn't care about that, even if it _did_ look like he'd based the avatar on his sister. After all, who hadn't played a character of the other gender in a game? No, Argo had very distinctive whisker marks drawn on his cheeks from about halfway through the beta, and he refused to tell me where they came from when I asked.

Or, rather, he set the price at a hundred thousand Col, which was ridiculously high for such a simple question.

I didn't have to wait long for a reply. 'Haha! Taking advantage of my generosity, naughty naughty. But I guess it's fine, I said any question. But~ I don't think I'll just give you the answer, I'll tell you something better instead :3 Here's the details...'

The rest of the message was a series of instructions on how to pick our way through a path in the steep mountains of the southern half of the floor that apparently led to a hidden quest that unlocked the Martial Arts Skill. Rumors had spread at the end of the beta that the quest existed somewhere on the Second Floor, but I'd never been able to find it.

"Well?" I asked my sisters, who were listening. "What do you think?"

Ran hummed for a few seconds before shrugging. "Why not?"

"Yeah, sounds like fun!" Leafa said.

I glanced at Yuuki and knew even without her saying a word that she wanted to go get the skill. She was a fighting maniac, even moreso than I was, and her eyes were sparkling. If the rest of us had decided not to go she would have grumbled a lot but eventually agreed, but since we were all onboard... "Alright," I said. "As soon as the coast is clear, we'll stock up and then head out."

"Hooray!" Yuuki cheered, throwing her arms around me. Her cheek rubbed against mine. "You're the best, Big Bro!"

...Something else was rubbing against me. Or rather, two soft something elses that squished nicely. "Yuuki."

"Huh?"

"...Never mind."

 _...No, no, I'm not thinking about how soft her breasts are, I'm not thinking about it._

After we refilled our stock of potions, we headed out through the south exit of town and made our way through the mountains, following Argo's instructions the whole way, and eventually we made it to the mountain cave in question. "This seems dangerous," Ran said, peering down into the hole. It was dark, and we couldn't see the bottom.

"Argo's map says we're just supposed to jump in."

Yuuki decided to solve our confusion in her usual manner, that being to just jump right in without hesitation. "Woohoo!" she shouted, her voice getting fainter. "It's awesomeeeeeee!"

When her whoops of joy finally faded out, Ran, Leafa and I exchanged glances. Ran just shrugged and jumped in after her twin sister, and I followed suit a few seconds later. I landed in a fast-moving stream of water, and it whisked me away. The water flowing through the underground tunnel must have smoothed out the tunnel, because the whole experience was like being in a dark water slide. From further in front of me I could hear Yuuki's cheers echoing back, and behind me I heard a splash that had to be Leafa. She let out a short shriek of surprise, but soon she was laughing happily.

The tunnel started twisting and turning until I was thoroughly disoriented. Before I could catch my bearings, a bright light at the end of the tunnel rushed towards me and I was unceremoniously dumped into a small pool of water. Yuuki and Ran were already splashing around happily in the water, both of them soaked.

A few seconds after I surfaced, a short laugh of happiness suddenly spiked into a scream of shock as Leafa shot out of the exit from the tunnel and splashed into the water. A shiver of fear ran down my spine as I suddenly remembered that Leafa didn't know how to swim, and I took a breath before diving in the water. Leafa was sinking, limbs flailing and her eyes clenched shut in panic, and I reached out to grab her hand in mine. As soon as we touched her eyes snapped open and I gave her a reassuring smile before turning and kicking for the surface, pulling her up along with me.

When we broke the surface, Leafa threw her arms around me and leaned against my chest. "That's twice now, Kirito," she said, nestling against the crook of my neck.

"Heh, yeah..." I said, patting her back. "We really have to teach you how to swim, don't we?"

"This is nice, too."

I let her hug me for a few seconds until she finished shaking, then gently pulled away. "Alright, girls, let's get out and dry off, then figure out why Argo sent us all the way out here."

We were out of the lake when I suddenly had an epiphany. That being, there was precisely zero chance that my sisters would adhere to basic modesty and wait for me to leave before stripping out of their equipment.

I turned to tell them I'd go change elsewhere, and - "Hrk," I said, staring. Yuuki had already shimmied out of her breastplate and top and was currently draping her clothes across a bush so it could dry. I snapped my eyes away - at least she was wearing a bra - only to get an eyeful of the older twin and Leafa in the exact same state. Leafa had even stripped off her skirt, leaving her in just her underwear as she bent over to arrange her clothes neatly, drawing my eyes towards -

I hurriedly turned back around. I had a sneaking suspicion that Leafa did that on purpose, _knowing_ I'd look at some point by accident. "I'm gonna go get changed behind another tree," I announced, hurrying off to the side. "Call me if you get in trouble." With the sun as hot as it was, it would only be a few minutes before everything was dry enough to continue normally.

"'Kay!" Yuuki called out. "Ooh, Big Sis! So big! I wanna feel!"

"H-hey, Yuuki," I heard Leafa say. "W-wai~it!" she gasped.

"Seriously, this isn't fair," Yuuki complained.

"I know, right? Seducing him would be so much easier if we all had a pair like this." And that was Ran.

The high-pitched yelping and moaning, then, had to be from Leafa.

I really wish I didn't have a mental image of what was happening right now.

* * *

After our clothes finished drying we joined back up together and headed deeper into the forest we'd found ourselves in. I'd never managed to scale the incredibly mountains that were ringing us back in the beta, and since Argo'd never shared the secret of the Martial Arts skill before, I'd never been in here before.

Fortunately, the obvious path through the forest led us straight towards what was the destination, I'm pretty sure; a large clearing in the forest had a dirt path that led right to the entrance to a log cabin sitting on the top of a hill. Off to the side, there was an absolutely gigantic rock sitting in the field. With no other clue, the four of us trooped up to the door. As we stepped through, I paused for a second as memories slammed over me. It was a dojo, just like the one attached to our house.

"Kazuto?" Leafa whispered quietly, and I realized I'd stopped in the entrance, blocking their way. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "Just... memories, y'know?"

She reached out and squeezed my hand once before letting go. I was pretty sure Yuuki and Ran didn't notice.

My grandfather had, while the four of us were children, attempted to teach me and Sugu kendo. Yuuki and Aiko, despite not being taught, had still watched every morning to spend time with their new siblings. My grandfather was a good teacher, but... I didn't want to do kendo, and he beat the hell out of me for it. When I told him I was quitting kendo, Sugu stepped up and said she'd practice hard enough for the both of us. I owe her for that, honestly, and I'm grateful she's never made a big deal out of it. Still, the sight of the inside of a dojo, after all this time...

Well. It wasn't our dojo, so I'd be okay.

An old man was sitting cross-legged in the center of the dojo. By the golden glowing exclamation mark over his head, it was pretty clear he was an NPC, and if I had to guess the quest he offered would lead to the Martial Arts skill. He looked like the type of NPC to do that, anyway. "Excuse me," I said, stepping forward. "Can you teach us?"

...

"Well," I said, staring at the demon rock in front of me. "Now I know where Argo's whiskers come from. He started the quest, and then gave up." Resignedly, I punched the rock. It didn't budge, and my knuckles went numb. "Ugh... He could have warned us. I bet he's just rolling on the floor laughing right now."

I glanced over my shoulder where my sisters were all lying in a heap, dying of laughter. "Would you stop that and help me?" I complained.

"...Cartoon character!" Leafa managed to gasp out between her giggles, and it just set the twins off again.

I guess I couldn't complain _too_ much. They did look kinda cute with their whiskers painted on their face, even if I'd never breath a word of my thoughts out loud.

It took several days of punching the rock day in and day out, but eventually something clicked and my fist glowed when I took a stance. A twist and a punch and I cracked the rock, doing more damage in a single blow than we'd done the entire day before. "Woah!" Yuuki and Leafa gasped, staring at the cracked rock.

"Congratulations," Ran said, smiling at me.

"I'm gonna be next!" Yuuki cheered, going at the rock with renewed energy.

The pop-up notifying me of the unlocked skill finally showed up, and I stepped away from the rock to sit down by the shade. "Hey, Kazuto?" I looked up to see Leafa looking at me from over her shoulder. "Could you come here and help me? I can't get the stance right."

I dismissed the notification and got to my feet. "Sure." I walked over and watched as she got back into the stance. "Okay," I said, stepping forward until I was right behind her, my chest pressing against her back. It was easiest to help her this way, and I'd done it before when teaching her to use some of the simple Sword Arts. "So, here's how you want to stand..."

Like always, when I helped her like this, Leafa took advantage of the fact and pressed backwards, forcibly drawing attention to exactly where my hips were pressing as she molded herself to my front. I just tried to rise above it and help her out.

At least it was Leafa doing this. Ran would be making it even _more_ sensual, somehow, and Yuuki would somehow go even further without realizing what she was doing.

Sooner or later, my family _has_ to resemble something close to normal, right?

When we finally rendered that rock down to rubble, I stretched and twitched when my spine popped. Why was that even _in_ Cardinal, anyway? It doesn't do anything useful. "Well, that was a success," I said.

"Well done, students," the old grandmaster suddenly said, and we all turned to see the NPC standing at the edge of the sandy ring. "You have learned the techniques I can grant you. Now go and learn." He turned and walked back in to the dojo, where I knew he'd sit down cross-legged in the center and wait for the next player or players to find this place.

I sighed. "Finally. We can wash these dumb whiskers off."

"Aww," Yuuki protested. "I liked them. They looked cute on us, right, Big Bro?"

Ran smirked. "What do you say, Kirito?"

I refuse to admit that I found them cute with the whiskers, like a trio of unruly kittens that all insisted they were going to marry me. "I think the lake is this way," I said instead.

"Mou, Kazuto," Leafa pouted.

When a similar expression graced the faces of the twins - albeit far, _far_ more potent in Yuuki's case - I sighed. "Yes, you look cute with the whiskers. But I think Argo will get mad for stealing his look," I added when stars started sparkling in their eyes. "So let's go wash them off."

"Fiii-iiiine," they said, still grinning widely.

Of course, after we'd cleaned up, there was still a matter of escaping the ring of mountains surrounding us, but that was solved easily enough thanks to Leafa's keen eye when she pointed out the steps that led up to another cave entrance. From there, it was a simple matter of exploring the tunnels by the light given off by the mushrooms dotting the cave in lieu of sunlight, and we were back in the regular area of the Second Floor in no time. After that, it was just a few days to walk to the nearest town.

"Ahhh," Aiko sighed as she collapsed on the closer of the two beds in the inn room. "I'm so glad we're back in civilization."

"What, didn't like sleeping in the wild?" Sugu asked as she sat down on the second one, splaying out on her side. "I don't mind camping, I think it's fun."

Aiko rolled on her back, one foot on the pillows while the other one dangled off the side of the bed. "Yeah, but a bed is so much more comfortable. And I can wake up without worrying about finding twigs or leaves stuck in my hair. It's a pain to comb them out of long hair, you know."

"You could ask Kazuto to take care of you," Sugu suggested with a sly smirk my way. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind _helping_ his little sister out when she needed him, right?" she asked, directing the question my way.

Well, it's not like I haven't helped Aiko out with her hair before, though it was usually only when Yuuki wasn't around to do the job. "I don't mind, Aiko," I said. "If you need help with anything, just ask, okay?"

"Oh?" she said, raising her head from where it was currently hanging off the side of the mattress to stare at me upside down. "In that case, since you said _anything_ , I need you to -"

"I can take my offer to help away," I said blandly, though my ears were burning.

She smirked and let her head fall again. "I'll be good."

I frowned. "Speaking of being good," I said, "where's Yuuki?"

Aiko stirred and sat up, her ponytail swaying as gravity reasserted itself on her hair. "Ah, I think she's -" She paused for a second, glancing at Sugu, then continued, "-on second thought, I should go check. I'll be back eventually, you two have ~fun~."

Ignoring the suggestive way she'd added that last bit, I looked at Sugu who just blinked back at me innocently. I was pretty sure I'd just been witness to sister telepathy, but there was no way to prove it for certain. "Hey, Kazuto?" she said, almost hesitantly. "Can..." She shuddered. "Can you sleep next to me tonight?"

I frowned. "What's wrong, Sugu?" I crossed over to the bed and sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She nestled against my side, and I could feel her warmth. "Still thinking about the lake?"

"Mhm." Her voice was quiet. "I know you'll always be there to rescue me, just like you did when we were kids, but... I'm still worried, y'know?"

I answered silently by gently squeezing her shoulder. "It's okay," I said, and she hummed softly. "It's okay. I'll sleep next to you tonight, it's okay."

"Thank you, Kazuto," she whispered. "It's okay if I fall in love with you all over again, right?"

"Yeah. It's okay."

* * *

 **More fluff, more attempts to seduce Kirito.**

 **Sugu was a little clingier this chapter than I expected her to be, all things considered, but the sudden lake dunking latched onto her and wouldn't let go, so she needed extra Onii-chan Cuddles to make her feel better. She'll be back to her normal, determined self in the next chapter, don't worry. Best Girl Sugu is just a little under the weather today.**

 **Best Girls Yuuki and Ran weren't so prominent in these little bits, sorry? They'll have focus next chapter. Also, I can totally see younger Aiko sitting on her bed, humming happily while her big brother is conscripted into hair brushing duty. Meanwhile, Yuuki is off in the corner tugging mournfully at her shoulder-length hair, frowning, and** _ **shit**_ **now I need to make this a flashback in the next chapter god damn it.**

 **And finally, Best Girl Argo is still (totally intentionally, this is Argo we're talking about) trolling Kirito with the reveal. This one, she just gave him the instructions instead of leading him there herself. This is because the ninja friends didn't press the issue for whatever reason, so she didn't run out into the Second Floor. By the way, Argo wasn't the only person to play a character of the different gender in the beta – Kirito had a few female avatars to try out. (His favorite is the one that looks like a cross between Aiko and Sugu, by the way.)**

 **Thanks for reading, and enjoy.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

 _"Yuuki usually does this, though," I said, staring at the hairbrush Aiko had handed me. "Why me?"_

 _Aiko glanced over her shoulder at me and smiled. "Because I want to spend time with my favorite big brother," she said. "And because if you have sisters, even if they're not your_ real _sisters, you should know how to brush hair."_

 _I sighed. Aiko really was good at guilt tripping me. "Fine, fine." I shifted my weight before bringing the brush up - then I paused. "Um..."_

 _Aiko giggled. "Just do like I told you and it'll be fine. This is your first time, Kazuto, I'm not expecting you to be perfect."_

 _"Alright..."_

 _It took a few tries to get the rhythm down, and Aiko had to offer a few tips and corrections, but eventually her tiny winces and twitches whenever I hit a snag or tangle became less frequent until they disappeared entirely, and after a minute she started humming happily while I brushed her hair, her feet swinging over the side of the bed._

 _Before much longer, it looked as silky smooth and pretty as it always did. "Yay!" Aiko cheered, taking a look in the mirror. "Thanks, Kazuto!" She leaned over and pressed a tiny kiss to my cheek before blushing._

 _I looked in the mirror myself and noticed a few things - first, that I was blushing too, and second, that Yuuki was sitting on the bed too. I hadn't even noticed her joining the two of us. Either way, she was tugging mournfully on the ends of her much shorter hair. "What's up, Yuuki?" I asked, looking at her. "Something wrong?"_

 _"It's not fair," she muttered. "I want Big Bro to brush my hair like that too. But my hair's not long enough."_

 _"Aiko?" I asked, turning to my little sister. She knew how to make Yuuki happy again. Aiko smiled at me, and hope soared._

 _...Only to crash and burn when her smile turned into a sly grin. "It's_ fine, _Kazuto, you should have learned enough as an apprentice in the sibling art of hair brushing. Just go slowly and be careful, and you can make Yuu as happy as you've made me."_

 _I let out a strangled sound that might charitably be called words. Aiko, why are you throwing me in front of the bus?_

 _Before I could get off the bed, though, Yuuki bounced over and sat down in front of me. "My turn, my turn!" she said excitedly._

 _Sighing, I got to work. When Yuuki was like this and Aiko was being uncooperative, there was no stopping them._

* * *

My eyes opened to see Sugu looking at me curiously, sitting on the edge of the bed. She blinked. "Oh, you're finally awake. I tried waking you up earlier, since you were sleeping later than you usually do, but you wouldn't stir."

"You won't wake me up by shaking me," I told her, rubbing at my eyes sleepily and stopping to yawn. "Remember, the NerveGear doesn't send signals while the user's asleep."

She paused. "Oh, yeah, that's right... That's why we take turns sleeping in dungeons, right?" I nodded. "I remember now. So, any good dreams of us?" Her eyes trailed downwards towards my crotch and she snorted lightly. "Guess not."

I just pretended to ignore her. "Just some memories of a few years ago. Remember when Aiko decided it was time for me to learn how to brush my sisters' hair?"

"Oh yeah!" She grinned. "Yeah, I remember that. You're getting pretty good at it, actually."

"And I've been on call ever since whenever you three feel lazy."

Sugu smirked. "What, we can't have sibling bonding time or enjoy having a wonderful big brother helping us look beautiful?"

I sighed. "Can we just stop talking about this?"

Sugu just shrugged, but I was pretty sure she was going to mention the topic to the twins when they inevitably got back from wherever they were. Where were they, anyway? "The twins are in the other room, taking a morning bath since we'll be out for a few days in a row," she said, probably reading my confusion from my face as I looked around the inn room. "You were sleeping late, so they figured they'd be back before you woke up." She giggled. "Poor Yuuki, she was so excited she was finally going to get to wake up her Big Bro. She's going to be so disappointed."

Rolling my shoulders, I sat up. "Well, she'll live," I said as I swapped out my sleeping clothes for my regular equipment. The dark blue coat fell over my shoulders, and I rolled my arms to make sure everything fit right before reaching back to adjust the hilt of my sword. "Besides, we're going out to get upgrade materials for her sword today to prepare for the Floor 9 boss raid, aren't we?"

"Mhm," Sugu hummed in agreement as she got busy with her own equipment management, equipping her new sapphire-blue equipment. I wasn't quite sure how practical the cloth armor was, especially when her skirt looked like it could get in the way of her movements at any moment, but she swore it didn't bother her in the slightest. "Do I look okay?"

I nodded. "Your new equipment looks good. It provides a lot more defense, right?" For an instant, Sugu frowned. Wonder what I said? "And how's the sword?"

She patted the hilt of her new weapon, a curved sword securely buckled to her hip. We'd found it in a dungeon on the Fifth Floor. "It's working fine. No problems to report, Kazuto."

"That's good."

"I just wish that I could get a katana like I'm more used to," Sugu sighed. "Hey, when I finally do get one, let's have a match! I wanna see how you hold up."

I chuckled. "Sure, sounds fun."

The door to the bathroom opened and Yuuki bounced out, clad only in a towel barely covering her modesty. As my eyes widened in surprise, she said, "Who's fighting? Can I watch?"

"Nobody's fighting, silly," Aiko said, coming out behind her. "Good morning, Kazuto." Just like her sister, she was only wearing a towel. Her longer hair was bound up in another towel, and beads of water ran down her skin, tracing her delicate collarbone and-

"Good morning," I said, trying to ignore the appearance of my sisters. They are my _sisters_ , and nothing more. "Are you two ready for breakfast?"

"Yep!" Yuuki said, nodding rapidly before swiping open her menu. A few seconds later and she was dressed in her usual outfit, a breastplate with a purple shirt underneath. Her skirt matched her shirt, hugging her thighs without quite being restrictive. It looked a lot like Leafa's, come to think of it; they probably bought their equipment from the same vendor.

Another flash of color off to the side brought my attention to Aiko, who'd equipped her own armor. It matched Yuuki's, though it was a slightly lighter color of purple - closer to lavender than Yuuki's preference for violet. And as for how I knew the difference between the two, I blame Aiko - and her skirt was a lot shorter. Other than the color and skirt length, the biggest difference was their weapon, like it always was. The sheathe of Yuuki's sword rested on her hip, while the blade of Aiko's spear poked out from behind her back.

Maybe it was the other way around and Yuuki's armor matched Aiko's?

She shook her head and ran fingers through her hair before quickly tying it back into its ponytail with her usual scrunchie. "Right, Kazuto," Aiko said after giving her head a quick toss and nodding in satisfaction. "Ready."

As we walked downstairs to the restaurant attached to the inn, I said, "And please, I can eat my own breakfast. You don't have to try to feed me, we keep getting weird looks from the other players."

"Aw..." my sisters chorused, looking like I'd just told them that their most favorite activity in the world was banned. Still, they _usually_ listened to me - or at least Leafa and Ran did, and Yuuki usually followed their lead unless she'd gotten the bit between her teeth - and that was all I could really hope for.

* * *

"Big Bro, Big Bro!" Yuuki pounced and landed on the bed with a heavy _fwump_. For my part, I just cracked an eye open, made sure she was wearing clothes, and then closed the eye again. Yep, she's dressed, so back to my nap. "Nooooo, don't go back to sleeeeeeep!"

A weight pressed down on the bed on either side of me, and I sighed. After taking a deep breath, I grudgingly opened my eyes - to stare straight into Yuuki's inquisitive eyes, centimeters from my face. Her gaze was shining with some emotion I couldn't quite describe, her eyes the same slate color as mine. I could feel her breath on my cheek, and I was barely breathing myself. What... What was...

Then she leaned back, beaming happily, and I felt my heart start up again. She wasn't... She wasn't going to do anything, she was just being innocent like always. "Oh, good, you _did_ wake up," she said.

"What's up, Yuuki?" I asked, sitting up against the backboard of the bed. Coincidentally, this gave me a little room from Yuuki, in case her exuberance got the better of her. "Bored?"

"Yeah," she said, explosively flopping back and staring up at me. "Sis already took Big Sis with her, and I don't wanna just sit in the room all day until they get back, since you said we can't go anywhere by ourselves."

I took another look at Yuuki, and she really seemed wound up; she was bouncing around, always one bounce the wrong way from falling off the bed. Out of all my sisters, she was the one least able to sit still for any appreciable period of time. Of course, this irritated me to no end when she kept bursting into my room when I was trying to do a raid with Argo back in the real world.

"Alright," I said, swinging my legs off the bed. "Where do you want to go?"

"Really?" she asked, eyes brightening up in a huge smile. "Awesome! Let's go shopping! I wanted to check out the new town."

Suddenly, I regret this.

...

"You know," I said idly, "when you said shopping I honestly expected a regular shopping trip, not quest 'shopping.'"

"Where'd be the fun in that?" Yuuki asked, gleefully swinging her sword before ducking into a roll and driving the point forward. "This is way better, right? Switch!"

I swung my sword, smashing through the Forest Elf's guard and shattering the monster into polygons. "I was bracing myself for going clothes shopping, actually," I said. "So yeah, I guess this is better. Did it drop?"

Yuuki frowned, and then sighed. "Noooo," she groaned. "Not yet. We have to go track down another Forest Elf."

"Let's go," I said. "I think the first few should be respawning soon, so let's head back there."

"Okay!"

Yuuki immediately set off, pushing her way through the thick brush, and I followed behind her. Times like this, I was reminded how much _fun_ it was to go out and play with Yuuki. Ever since I'd lost my temper and told them they weren't my _real_ sisters - something that I still regretted, regardless of whether or not they'd forgiven me - I'd never been able to bring myself to join Yuuki when she went to play outside, or when she went on crazy bug-hunting adventures. Back when we were kids, Yuuki would always be raring to go outside, even if she usually followed me or Ran around.

Whenever we played with Yuuki, it was like I didn't have to worry about what the next day brought, I just got to have as much fun as I could have in the moment. She was good at that. Partnering with her like this? It wasn't quite as carefree as back then, but it was close.

I caught up to Yuuki and she glanced my way, grinning at me. "I knew you were gonna have fun!" she said. "I'm glad we found that quest. I was going _crazy_ doing nothing, earlier."

"Sorry," I said with an answering grin. "I forgot you can't last more than five seconds without getting some action."

"Hey!" she protested, trying to look angry. It didn't really work, since her angriest face looked like a frowning puppy. "Mean! You make it sound like I'm violent or something!"

"Ahaha... Sorry." I chuckled and rubbed the back of my head. "I didn't mean it the way it came out."

"Then how'd you mean it, huh?"

"I, uh..." I really didn't think that comment through. "I think we're coming up on the Forest Elf spawn, so be careful," I said instead.

She stared at me suspiciously for a second before her expression changed back into her regular happy grin. "Okay, Big Bro," she chirped.

I grinned back, glad that she'd let the subject go so easily.

Sure enough, when we rounded the corner the Forest Elf had respawned and was wandering around in its regular exploration cycle. With a ring of steel, Yuuki and I drew our blades and charged forward with twin war cries.

...

"Switch, Yuuki!"

"Leave it to me, Big Bro!" she shouted, taking advantage of the opening I'd made with a heavy attack and lunging forward, her acrobatic flips taking her over the Forest Elf's sweeping retaliation before her sword flashed out and struck home, slamming through the mob's chest. It shattered into polygons and floated away, leaving the two of us to sheathe our swords.

I groaned, rolling my shoulders. They were starting to get tired. "Please tell me it dropped the Elf Pouch we need."

"Uh..." Yuuki nibbled at her lower lip, and then threw her hands up in a double V for victory. "We did it! It dropped!"

I heaved a sigh of relief. "Finally. Stupid drop rates..."

"Eheheh," Yuuki giggled. "I didn't think it'd take this long... At least Sis and Big Sis know where we are, right?"

"Didn't you tell them?" I asked her. She was the one who wanted to go out.

"...No?"

Yuuki and I stared at each for a few seconds, the silence between us deafening.

"We're in a lot of trouble when we get back, aren't we?" she asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, we are."

Yuuki frowned in thought before grinning widely. "Eh. Worth it!"

I was already swiping open my menu to send messages to Ran and Leafa. Hopefully, they wouldn't be too mad once we got back to the room, especially since neither of us had so much as a scratch. Plus, we were going to be returning with some extra spending money thanks to the quest reward. That would be enough, right?

Apparently, no.

"Do you _realize_ how worried we were?" Aiko demanded, hands on her hips. "Not a word! We just get back to the inn room and find it completely empty!"

Yuuki and I ducked our heads, sitting on the bed while Aiko and Sugu took turns lecturing us. It was almost uncanny, the way they traded off. More sibling telepathy, maybe?

"Aiko is right. And the only reason we _didn't_ panic," Sugu said, "is because we could look at the party menu and see your health bars. What if you got in trouble? What if you both got paralyzed by an enemy?"

Aiko nodded fiercely. "This is why we made the rules that it has to be at least three of us," she said. "One person alone is asking for trouble. Two is even worse, because you'll feel overconfident and take stupid risks!"

I very carefully didn't mention that Yuuki had slipped once when she overextended her blade, and that the only reason she didn't get hurt was because I was there immediately to cover her. I had a sneaking suspicion they wouldn't take that well.

"Well," Sugu finally huffed. "Do you two have anything to say for yourselves?"

I didn't say anything. In the mood they were in, bringing up the quest reward would just trigger another lecture on greed and risk versus reward.

"Don't blame Big Bro," Yuuki said suddenly, and I looked at her in surprise. "I was the one that was bored and wanted to go on an adventure. He thought we were going shopping."

"Oh?" Aiko said, raising an eyebrow. After a tense second, she sighed. "I figured it was something like that, actually," she said. "Well, whatever. You're back safely, and that's what matters."

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around both me and Yuuki, pulling us into a tight hug that left Yuuki and I brushing shoulders. "Mm," she sighed. "Stop scaring me like this, you reckless idiots."

"Sorry," I said, patting her back lightly. "I'll try to remember to keep you two informed from now on."

"See that you do," she said, before lightly kissing my cheek and letting go of the two of us. Yuuki didn't bother moving away. "I suppose I'll forgive you this time."

Sugu nodded. "Just don't do it again."

"I won't, I won't," I laughed.

Mollified, Aiko and Sugu went off to take baths before dinner. When we had the room to ourself, I leaned over and patted Yuuki's head. "Thanks for sticking up for me, Yuuki," I said.

"Heheh," she said, preening. "Praise me more, Big Bro."

"I'm proud of you," I said, and Yuuki hummed in pleasure.

That night at dinner, Yuuki was busy telling Aiko all about our adventure. "...And that's when Big Bro took me out so I could get some action!" she said, entirely too happily.

I coughed awkwardly as Sugu and Aiko pinned me with accusing stares. "You got some action," Aiko said, raising the Eyebrow of Doom. "With our big brother? My, my... I thought it would take longer than that."

Yuuki tilted her head in confusion. "Huh? Why's everyone staring at Big Bro?"

"Don't worry about it, Yuuki," I said, trying not to bury my face in my hands.

* * *

"I can trust them with you, right, Ran?" I asked.

Ran nodded. "I'm your second," she said seriously. We weren't _technically_ a guild, even though we could have created one ever since Floor 3. Still, Ran was a natural leader, and our other sisters had no problem following her lead. For that reason, I usually entrusted her with the lead when I had to go off on my own. "But... are you sure you have to do this? I'm worried about leaving you on your own..."

I grinned. "Don't worry," I said. "This is just a quick run for upgrade materials. I won't even be going in a dungeon. Plus, I'm fully stocked up on healing potions, I checked."

Ran looked at me for a second, indecision warring on her face, and she finally moved over and wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me tight. "Stay safe, Kirito," she said, burying her face in my shoulder for a few seconds before letting go.

"I will. Have fun with the other two." While I was busy grinding upgrade mats in the forest, my sisters would be scouting out the newest dungeon we'd found. Nothing serious, of course, just them checking out the entrance and first few rooms. They wouldn't even be fighting; if and when they ran into mobs, they'd retreat.

"Oh, but we can't have _fun_ unless you're there with us, Kirito," Ran said, winking.

I rolled my eyes. "Quit messing with me and get going, Ran."

"Yessir," she giggled, giving me a quick salute before turning and running off to corral my other two sisters.

Man... She just didn't quit. Well, it wasn't _too_ bad, all things considered.

The forest was filled with plant monsters that were probably a little bit too low level for me, but they were the best source of the mats we needed to upgrade Yuuki's sword. At least, according to Argo, at any rate, and since I had to pay for the information I trusted him.

My blade cut through the last of the Lesser Gerberas that I'd managed to attact, and I sheathed my sword with an absent flourish as the blue polygons floated away. I scrolled through the list of drops and rewards, and nodded with a smile. "That's everything," I said. We'd already collected the rest of the items required plus extras in case of failure, so as soon as we all got back we could go get Yuuki's sword upgraded.

As I turned to start making my way out of the forest, I heard a loud scream of terror. Before I was even aware of what exactly I'd heard I was already racing through the trees, searching for the source.

It had sounded like a young girl. Maybe even the same age as my sisters.

I burst into a clearing at a dead run and then stopped dead in my tracks, staring at the sight in front of me. There was a young girl being attacked by a Lesser Gerbera, but instead of its regular bite attack, it had somehow... lifted her in the air with its root tentacles.

Upside down.

"Help!" she shouted, flailing wildly with a dagger that didn't come close to cutting the roots holding her ankles. "Please!"

I threw off my surprise and drew my sword, lunging forward. A few swift slashes and the monster was destroyed, no need for Sword Skills at all. With a yelp, the girl fell and I caught her in my arms. "Hey there," I said with a grin. "You're okay now."

She cracked one eye open cautiously, then both eyes flew open in surprise. "Ah! Th-thank you for saving me," she said. "My name's Silica."

"I'm Kirito," I said. I suddenly realized I was still holding her in my arms. I gently set her down on her feet and she hastily adjusted her tunic. After her clothes were fixed to her satisfaction, she pawed at her hair and made sure her twin tails were correct. "What are you doing alone?" I asked her. "It's dangerous for anyone to go out by themselves."

"Um... I had a group, but I got lost, and then they left me..." Tears were starting to bead in her eyes, and she sniffed.

I patted her head. "Well, it's alright now. I was about to head out of the forest, if you wanted to come with me."

"Really?" she gasped, smiling up at me. "Thank you!"

"C'mon, let's go."

...

Ran folded her arms and stared at me levelly. "So, walk me through this one more time," she said. "You went out to get materials."

"Yeah."

"And you came back with the materials and some random girl," she said.

"I'm right here," Silica protested, still clinging to my arm.

I frowned. "Ran, don't be rude. You're better than that."

Ran flinched at my rebuke, her eyes flicking over to Silica and narrowing for the barest instant. "...Sorry," she said, not sounding like she really meant it.

Since Ran was staying sullenly silent, Leafa continued, "We're not mad, but… you have to admit, this _is_ kinda weird. How did this happen, Kazuto?"

I rubbed the back of my head ruefully. "I, uh, I was about to leave when I heard Silica cry for help. When I got there, she was being attacked by monsters, so I stepped in to help. And then, we came back here."

"Always the hero with you, Kazuto," Leafa sighed. "Still, I was expecting something like this to happen sooner or later."

I protested, "What's that mean?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Remember Asuna?" she asked, before sipping at her tea. When I grumbled and didn't answer, a small smirk twitched at her lips.

Yuuki frowned and leaned over to Ran, whispering something. Ran blinked, then whispered something back. "Oh, okay," Yuuki said. I watched the two of them, not really sure what they were talking about. "So, it's really cool to meet you Silica! I'm Yuuki, and this's my sis, Ran! And that's Leafa, and I guess you've already met Kirito."

"It's nice to meet you," Silica said. "Are you... Mr. Kirito's partners?"

"You can just call me Kirito, Silica," I said. Ran looked at me askance and I shrugged, ducking the blame. It wasn't _my_ fault she was calling me that! I'd asked her not to before this, but she refused to listen.

"P-p-p-partners?" Leafa stuttered, waving her hands in front of her wildly as she blushed a bright red. "N-no, nothing like that! It's t-t-t-too soon, I'm not – not ready..."

Silica cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Eh?" she asked.

Meanwhile, I just sighed and shook my head. Sometimes, my sisters were a handful and a half. "Yeah, Silica, we're in a party together," I said, smiling at the young girl. "Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm hungry. Let's eat."

After we ate dinner, my sisters excused themselves and headed back to the inn. Meanwhile, Silica ordered a slice of chocolate cake and was happily eating her dessert. "You have a place to stay, right?" I asked Silica.

She swallowed a mouthful of cake. "It's on Floor 4," she said.

I said, "I'll walk you to the gate, if that's okay."

"Y-Yes!" she said, suddenly shouting. I blinked, surprised by her vehemence. "I mean, um... I'd like that... a lot..."

"Okay," I said. "We'll go as soon as you finish your cake."

While we walked, Silica kept stealing glances at me. I'd spent more than long enough around my sisters - Leafa in particular - that I knew the sign of the girl wanting to say something but stopping herself at the last second. "Something on your mind?" I asked her, stopping in front of the Warp Gate.

"Huh?" she yelped, jumping slightly. "Wh-wha?"

"I can tell you've got something you want to say, so go ahead," I told her. "Ask me whatever."

"Okay," Silica said, and then she took a deep breath. "K-Kirito," she said, stuttering as she fidgeted and looked away from me, "can... can I come with you and the others?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it without saying anything. While it _would_ be nice for my sisters to have some more friends their age - especially the twins, since while Yuuki was outgoing I knew Ran didn't make friends very easily - I... just couldn't help but worry. "Sorry," I said gently, but it still made the light dull in her eyes. "But we're too high level," I continued. "We're pushing the front lines, and it's _dangerous_ if you're not really prepared."

Silica looked like she was holding back tears, and I patted her head. "Sorry," I said again. "But I don't want you getting hurt."

"It's because my level's too low, right?" she asked, wiping at her eyes. When they were dry, she nodded, her face resolute. "Then I'm gonna get stronger, you'll see! And then I'm gonna come back and fight next to you!"

I grinned. "I'll look forward to that, Silica." More front liners is always nice, especially if they're someone the same age as the twins.

"It's a promise!"

After I saw Silica off, the girl returning to a lower floor via a warp gate, I returned to the inn room we were renting and the Sisters of Damocles waiting for me.

Fortunately, the only one that was in the room when I entered was Aiko; Yuuki and Sugu were already taking advantage of the free baths the inn offered as a bonus for renting one of the bigger rooms, I guess. "Hey," she said, seeming smaller than usual.

Most of the time, I forgot she was only 12 because she always acted so mature, but now and then her real age shone through.

"Something wrong?" I asked her. "You seem down."

She put her hand on her other arm, sort of half hugging herself. "Silica was... nice."

I nodded. "I was kinda hoping you would enjoy having someone your age around other than your twin," I said, "but she decided not to stick around."

Aiko hesitated. "I'm... Are you proud of me?" she asked, searching my eyes.

I looked at her silently, then reached out and ruffled her hair. She didn't complain, which was a rare occurrence, and the corner of her lips curled up. "I've always been proud," I told her, meaning every word. "You've never given me any reason to _not_ be proud of you."

My sister looked up at me, blinking, then rushed me suddenly and threw her arms around me. I returned the hug and softly patted her back. "Thank you," she mumbled, burying her face in my chest. "And... sorry about earlier."

I sighed. "You shouldn't have said that," I told her, "but what's done is done."

"Sorry," she repeated, her voice muffled. "I was just... worried."

"Worried about what?"

She shook her head. "It's stupid, don't worry about it. You've already made me feel better."

I ruffled her hair again, and this time she did let out a muted complaint. "Glad to hear it."

They were my sisters. They should always be smiling happily, and I was going to make sure of it.

* * *

 **Huh. This one kinda came out of nowhere but I'm okay with it! Surprisingly! I don't hate it as much as I normally do, so… progress?**

 **From the top:**

 **I made good on my promise/threat to make young Aiko and Yuuki totally adorable. Poor Big Brother Kazuto, being conscripted. (he doesn't mind all that much. shh, it's a secret) Originally, I had Aiko make more risqué comments and innuendo, but common sense prevailed and my brain said 'dude, she's only 10, she wouldn't know that stuff yet' to which I said 'sure okay brain you're usually busy hating yourself but you can have good ideas now and then'. So, that got removed and changed to the light teasing it is now.**

 **The first half (second third? Meh) of the chapter focused on Yuuki, since she hasn't really been getting that much attention and deserved it. A fun little walk in the forest with her Big Bro! Only, they're both not great at the little things like communication, so they kinda got in trouble. And worried Aiko half to death. Also, Yuuki continues to say things without realizing what they sound like – in this case, she's repeating Kazuto's ill-advised word choice. Our boy doesn't really think things through all the time. (like when he asked to stay the night with asuna, so i have canon support for this trait holy crap that's new)**

 **Finally, a combination of Aiko-focus and introducing Silica to this little comedy of humors. Or is it humours? I can never remember without looking it up. Aiko continues to be responsible and the leader; Kirito can't stop saving girls; and then Aiko got jealous. Since it'll probably come up in the reviews, when Yuuki leaned over to whisper, she was asking what happened to Asuna. Aiko told her that Asuna left to go on her own (or, more accurately, Team Kiss x Sis slipped away from her and she never really managed to find them again). I also like to imagine that Kazuto is still totally dense about girls, it's just that his sisters are REALLY blatant about it, so Silica's hero worship/crush doesn't even register.**

 **No Argo this chapter, which makes me sad.**

 **Finally, to address something re: the character names, I'm using the general pattern of 'Kazuto thinks/says their IRL names when alone and everyone else knows it, in-game names in public/otherwise'. That's why you'll see me switch from Kazuto to Kirito, and Aiko to Ran, and Sugu(ha) to Leafa, and Yuuki to… huh. Generally, the IRL names are when they're in their room. When addressing each other, Yuuki uses the sibling terminology, Aiko does the same as Kazuto, and Leafa always uses the IRL names. (past chapters have been updated to stay consistent with this)**

 **General errata: for no real reason I split the four siblings along a lewdness/shame graph. Yuuki is low lewdness low shame (totally innocent about it), Aiko is high lewdness low shame (totally shameless about going after Kazuto), Sugu is high lewdness high shame (she'll be aggressive and then blush as red as a stop sign), and Kazuto is low lewdness high shame (because those sisters will be the death of him and he totally doesn't think about them like that honest). Just something weird that somehow worked out.**

 **Thanks for reading, and hope you all enjoyed.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

 _Shff shff creaaak_

I woke up suddenly and blinked blearily, trying to figure out what had disturbed me. Looking around, I saw Sugu and Yuuki still asleep in the other bed; but Aiko, after a quick search, was nowhere to be found. A small current of worry wormed its way into my gut as I sat up, looking for my missing sister.

I let out a small sigh of relief as I saw the door to our room closing slowly. It must have creaked as Aiko was sneaking out.

Getting out of bed, I crept over to the closing door and wrapped my hand around the edge, pulling it back open a bit. Aiko stared at me, letting out a cute squeak of surprise, and I raised an eyebrow. "Where're you going?" I asked her, stepping outside and closing the door behind me.

"I, uh..."

I folded my arms, and Aiko sighed. "I was going to do some early-morning training," she admitted.

"Weren't you the one lecturing me about going off by myself, just a few floors down?" I asked her.

She ducked her head. "Yeah, I know, it's dumb," she said, "but... I feel like I'm falling behind."

"Aiko -"

"I know, I know it's a risk going out by myself," she said, "but I'm being really careful, and I haven't gotten in trouble yet, right?"

"Aiko, that's not -"

She pouted at me. "And you go off on your own all the time," she said. "Why can't I do the same thing? I just go, fight a few monsters, and then I'm back before everyone else wakes up."

"Aiko," I said, putting my hands on her shoulders, "listen to me. I'm not trying to make you stop."

Aiko blinked at me, then started fiddling with the scrunchie of her ponytail. "You're not?" she asked quietly.

I shook my head. "Uh-uh. I was just going to ask you to wait a few minutes so I could leave Sugu and Yuuki a note telling them not to worry if they wake up before we get back."

My sister frowned. "Wait, 'we'?"

"I'm coming with you," I said. "It's dangerous to go by yourself, so I'm coming too."

She looked at me, hand lightly tugging on her ponytail, then threw her arms around me. "You're the best, Kazuto," she said happily, peering up at me. "Thanks for trusting me."

I tousled her hair and she let out a little whine, ducking away from me to fastidiously neaten her hair again and fix my offense. "Of course I do, Aiko," I said. "I just worry, that's all. I'm your big brother, I'm supposed to worry, right?"

"Heheh," she giggled. "Now let's gooooo, I want to be done and back before the others wake up."

I suppressed a chuckle. Every now and then, Aiko could act exactly like her twin, and it was always cute to watch her get worked up and excited about something.

Suddenly, something clicked. "Hey, Aiko? You said something about doing this before?"

"Uh... No?"

I frowned. "Aiko, how long have you been doing this behind my back?"

She mumbled something.

"Aiko..."

"Only a few weeks," she muttered. "You've been starting to pull ahead, and I... This was the best way to keep up with you. I just wanted you to be able to rely on me..."

Have I? I tried to remember, and realized suddenly that I _had_ been going out to grind alone a lot, recently. "...Sorry," I said, sighing. "I'll cut back on going out alone, how's that sound? But in return, you have to stop sneaking out, okay? Or at least make sure I'm going with you."

She beamed at me. "Okay!"

We walked down the streets holding hands; I'd initially protested, but Ran pointed out that it was only the NPCs out this early anyway. "It's okay, right?" she asked me with a sly grin. "To want to show the world how much I _love_ my wonderful big brother?"

 _She's just messing with me, she's just messing with me, she's just messing with me..._

Besides, after I gave in and let my sister slip her hand in mine, her happy smile made it worth it.

"Hey, Ran?"

"Mm?"

I looked past her, scratching my cheek. "I _do_ rely on you, you know. Y'know, about what you said earlier."

Her eyes widened, a light blush dusting her cheeks, and then somehow her smile grew even wider until she was beaming from ear to ear.

"Yeah!" she said.

* * *

It was a good thing the monsters in this forest dungeon didn't have ears and couldn't be attracted by sound.

"I'm just saying, it's my turn!" Yuuki protested, Pouting at Leafa.

Because if they did, we'd be in a lot of trouble.

Leafa crossed her arms. "But I've known Kazuto longer, so it only makes sense," she said. "He's my cousin, so it's okay if I'm sleeping with him."

"This entire problem wouldn't exist if you just bought more while we were in town," Ran said.

"The sleeping bags were expensive!" she protested. "It was a better deal if we only bought two bags that fit two people instead of four individual bags. Or are you trying to spend all our money, Ran? That doesn't seem very responsible," Leafa said slyly.

"Guh..." Ran gasped, eyes wide with shock.

"What if we needed to buy potions? Or upgrade our equipment?" Leafa asked lightly, sounding perfectly innocent. "But if I spent all our money on sleeping bags, we wouldn't be able to do that."

"Uh, Sis?" Yuuki asked, leaning over to stare at Ran. Her twin had fallen to her knees, head hanging in gloom. "Are you okay?"

Leafa giggled.

I sighed. "Focus, please, girls. This might only be Floor 12, but it's still a dungeon and we have to be careful. And it's only three floors behind the front lines, too."

"Sorry," Yuuki and Leafa chorused. Ran sniffled slightly, but nodded.

At least they all sounded suitably chastised. Maybe they'll finally pay attention to their surroundings.

That particular hope lasted about five minutes.

"And anyway, you two are used to sharing a bed," Leafa said to the twins. "Didn't you have the same bed until you were seven? And even then you still share a room."

"Yeah," Yuuki protested, "but it's not fair hogging Big Bro all to yourself!"

Ran nodded. "Who knows what you'd get up to, snuggled up close to Kirito like that?" she said. "So close together, late at night, hot bodies pressing against each other -"

"Aikoooo!" Leafa wailed, her face looking like it was on fire. "Stoooop!"

Ran smirked.

Yuuki blinked. "That sounds like a lot of fun, Sis," she said. "I wonder if I can get Big Bro to try that with me next time we sleep together..."

I just sighed and shook my head, regretting for the Nth time that I hadn't stopped by the general store and picked up a third sleeping bag.

Fortunately, my sisters did know when to focus, so they stopped bickering while we were fighting mobs. No matter how heated their arguments got, the second an enemy so much as sniffed near us their blades snapped out and the bickering ended.

I was pretty impressed with them, actually.

The last mob in our latest group finally died and Ran let out a tired cheer, Yuuki throwing up a V for victory sign. "Is that it?" Leafa asked, the least affected by the long day. Guess it's all that kendo training.

I scanned the drop list, and grinned. "Yeah, that's it. We've got everything we need." My sisters all let out a huge sigh of relief. "Anyone want to stay out a little longer? We could probably -"

"Noooo!" Ran and Leafa wailed, Yuuki visibly drooping from exhaustion behind them.

"Kidding, kidding," I said, scratching my cheek and looking away. Ah... I wanted to fight a little bit more...

"Why did we need to come here again?" Leafa asked as we started the walk out.

"The quest chain, remember?" Ran said.

Leafa clapped a fist in her open palm. It was kinda cute, actually. "That's right," she said. "Um... It started with the woodsman on Floor 15, and he wanted... a new axe, right? So we went to-"

Ran nodded. "We went to that NPC blacksmith on Floor 9 and he would make us the new axe but we'd have to get the leather for the ties."

"So the leather guy wanted some bear leather from this forest, so we came out here to fight!" Yuuki grinned. "These quest chains are kinda bad, but at least this one had some fun in the end."

Leafa sighed. "I just wish it didn't take the better part of a day to get to this part. And then we had to spend the night inside the dungeon..." She blushed. "At least I got to sleep next to Kazuto. That was wonderful... as if we were..." Her blush went luminescent and she trailed off.

Whatever she was thinking, I probably didn't want to know. I'd learned that the hard way a while back, when I pressed her about a similar silence a few years back.

"No fair," Yuuki muttered, kicking at the dirt. Ran nodded.

I was going to say something to try to cheer the twins up when I heard shouting in the distance. "That's not good!" I gasped. "Let's go!" I took off without another word.

"H-Hey! Kirito, wait up!" Ran and Yuuki scrambled to chase after me. Leafa was already running by my side, like she'd expected me to rush off.

The panic and shouting got louder and louder until we finally burst into a clearing. I paused to catch my breath as I took in the scene: a Dire Bear had attacked and overwhelmed a party of five players. Four of them were lying on the ground groaning, their weapons scattered around them. The fifth player, a guy in purple clothes, was barely holding off the Dire Bear with the small kite shield on his arm.

"I'm going!" I shouted, not waiting for my sisters to respond. I knew they'd be able to handle themselves.

Sure enough, I could hear Ran guiding Yuuki and Leafa to help the downed players while I closed the distance between me and the Dire Bear.

Alright, you bastard! Face me instead!

After the monster was safely defeated, I sheathed my sword and turned to the players we'd saved. My sisters had done good work, and it looked like they'd given everybody a health potion. "Are you all okay?" I asked them.

"Y-Yes," the player in red said, shaking his head. "Thank you for saving us, uh..."

"Kirito," I said. "And that's -"

"Kirito?!" A girl exclaimed, and suddenly I was knocked backwards by a tacklehug that rivalled Yuuki's best efforts. "Oh, I'm so glad we finally found someone else we know in this game!"

"What?" my sisters all exclaimed, staring at me.

I stared down at the black hair and light blue tunic the girl hugging me was wearing. Hey, wait a second... I recognize that voice. "Sachi?!" I asked, eyes wide. "Is that you?"

"Uh huh," she said, looking up at me. Her eyes were watering.

Without thinking I wrapped her in a huge hug.

"WHAAAAT?!" my sisters exclaimed.

"Eep!" Sachi squeaked, and I pulled away slightly to see that she was a little flushed.

"Are you okay?"

She shook her head and leaned her head against my chest. "I am," she said. "I just... wasn't expecting that."

I laughed. "Sorry... I was just... What are you doing here? And that's the rest of the Moonlit Black Cats with you, right?"

"That's us," the guy in the red waved. "Good to see you, Kirito. So this is what you look like, huh?"

The one in yellow snickered and folded his arms behind his head. "Gotta say, did _not_ live up to my expectations."

"Ducker!" Sachi scolded him. "Be nice!" She turned back to me and smiled. "It's good to see you, Kirito."

Ran was the first of my sisters to find her voice again and said, "Um... Sorry, but... Kirito, you know her?"

I nodded. "We met... Which game was it, again?"

Sachi giggled. "I knew you wouldn't remember."

"Well, either way, I helped them out on a few quests," I said. "We chatted for a while, and I'm an unofficial member of the Moonlit Black Cats, apparently."

"Wait, Kazuto has friends?" Leafa muttered to Ran.

"I know, right?" she muttered back. "This is weird..."

Behind them, Yuuki was shaking in place, staring at me and making little noises under her breath. "Hey!" she finally exclaimed, hands on her hips. "That's not fair to hug _her_ like that when you won't hug _me_ like that!"

Immediately Sachi released me and stepped away. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I didn't mean anything improper, I was just so grateful for his rescue. I didn't realize."

I sighed. "Sachi, everyone, these are my sisters, Leafa, Yuuki, and Ran." As I pointed to each of them in turn Leafa and Ran waved, but Yuuki was still glowering at me. Or, at least, trying to glower at me.

"Oh," Sachi said, pressing a hand to her mouth. "I thought you were Kirito's girlfriend! I didn't realize you were his sister... I'm sorry."

Yuuki shook her head. "I don't mind! I really want Big Bro to be my lover. I'm gonna keep trying until it finally happens!" she said, pumping her fist in the air.

"Kirito..." Ran said, draping herself over me. "Don't leave me out of this... I want to be your lover too..." she whispered in my ear.

The rest of the Moonlit Black Cats were staring at me, an unreadable expression on their faces. I fidgeted uneasily.

Sachi slowly turned to face me, smiling serenely.

I gulped. "They're adopted?"

Sachi's smile didn't waver.

"Hey!" Leafa protested, pulling Ran off me. "Stop climbing over him like that! He already promised to marry me when we grow up!"

I didn't even _have_ an excuse for that.

See, this is why I didn't tell them I had sisters.

...

After introductions were over, we all went back to the nearest town and headed to the inn. Keita and the Moonlit Black Cats insisted on buying us dinner as thanks for saving them earlier, and I couldn't convince them it wasn't necessary.

"Say 'Ah', Kirito," Ran said, holding a fork to my mouth.

"What's gotten into you girls?" I asked, leaning away from the mouthful. Ran jabbed the fork forward, not letting up, and I sighed before obliging her and opening my mouth. "Ahhhm."

The last time they were acting up like this, it'd been when a classmate came over to work with me on a class project. It'd run late, so I'd insisted she stay for dinner – and my sisters basically formed ranks around me the entire time Asada was there.

As I chewed, Ran sat back, smiling happily before taking a bite from her own meal and humming, a small blush on her cheeks.

Just as I swallowed, Leafa was there with another mouthful of my dinner on her fork, waiting patiently.

They were even taking turns on who got to feed me my next bite. This was ridiculous. And I couldn't do anything to stop them, since Yuuki had claimed my lap as her chair.

Well, it could be worse, I guess.

"So, ah... Kirito, thank you again for saving us," Keita said, stumbling over his words. I couldn't blame him; all of the Moonlit Black Cats looked like they were taking massive SAN damage just watching my sisters be all lovey-dovey. "Um... We can't really repay you, though..."

"That's okay," I said, lightly pressing at Yuuki's hand when she tried to feed me another mouthful. She huffed, but let me talk. "I wasn't trying to get a reward or anything, y'know? I just heard the shouting and came to lend a hand."

Tetsuo laughed. "See, Leader? I told you Kirito wouldn't accept the reward."

"I had to offer anyway," Keita said. "So, Kirito, how are things with you and your... sisters..."

He trailed off at the end, and again I couldn't blame him. After feeding me the mouthful from her spoon, Yuuki happily scooped up another spoonful and popped it right in her mouth. She didn't use a different spoon, either.

A few of the Moonlit Black Cats visibly shook themselves. I forged onward, sadly used to this by now. "We're doing well," I said. "We're usually on the Front Lines, but a quest had us coming down here for some random drops."

"Fetch quest, huh?" Ducker asked, nodding. "Yeah, I getcha. They're a real pain, right?"

I sighed, nodding as the rest of the Moonlit Black Cats grumbled along. My sisters just looked on in confusion. Right, it's been four months since we were stuck in this Death Game, and it's easy to forget they haven't played many MMOs before SAO.

Sachi clapped her hands together and tilted her head slightly. "Whatever the reason, I'm glad you were there." I couldn't help but smile. She really was cute, just like how I'd imagined every time we talked on group chat. "Really, we do owe you."

"It's... it's nothing," I said, scratching my cheek and looking away from her earnest smile. "Really, don't mention it. I'm glad you're safe." Her cheeks colored a little bit, and I shifted awkwardly.

Damn it, why does she have to be so cute like that?

Beside me, Ran grumbled something under her breath, but when I looked at her she was busy sipping at her tea, holding the cup in both hands. Yuuki was cheerfully eating her dinner, and Leafa was just finishing up her own meal.

"Anyway," I said, "about what level are you guys?"

"Most of us are around level 18," Sasamaru said, "but Sachi here is only level 16."

"Sasamaru!" Sachi protested.

I blinked. "Only level 18?" My sisters and I had just hit 30. "What were you doing in the forest, then? It's not really safe."

"Quest," Keita sighed. "We just had to kill the one boar, so I figured it would be okay. That was my bad, everyone, sorry."

Ducker grinned and threw his arms around Keita's shoulders. "Don't worry about it, leader! We all still love you."

It looked like the Moonlit Black Cats were done with their food, and the guys pushed their chairs back. "Well, we should get going," Keita said. "Sachi?"

"Oh, ah... You can go on ahead," she said. "I'll be right there, I have to ask Kirito something first."

"Okay. We'll wait for you by the Warp Gate, okay?" With that, the guys left, leaving me with just my sisters and Sachi at the table.

"Um, Kirito?" Sachi asked quietly. "I don't like fighting... I didn't even want to leave the Town of Beginnings. But... I don't want my friends to get hurt."

I smiled. It felt nice that she trusted me enough to say this. "How can I help?"

She gave me a small smile. "Thank you... Do you know if there's a good way for me to earn experience by myself? I want to catch up."

I hummed in thought, then nodded. "Yeah, I know a few repeatable quests that give out good experience for just fetching simple items or running errands," I said. "Do you have a map of Floor 3?"

She nodded and pulled one out of her inventory before rolling it out on the table. "It's not very complete, but..."

"It's great, don't worry about it," I said.

I leaned over to get a better look, but Yuuki didn't lean forward with me. I ended up with my chest pressed up against her back, my chin resting on her shoulder, and her hair tickling my cheek. She smells really nice...

 _I will not think of my sister like that, I will not think of my sister like that, even if she is adop - I will not think of my sister like that..._

"Okay, this town here?" I pointed to one I was talking about, and my hand brushed Sachi's by accident. Her cheeks went a little pink, and I didn't meet her eyes. "Um," I coughed. "Anyway, there's an NPC in the general shop that'll ask for some reagents for making health potions. After you get them from the nearby forest, she'll give you a few potions for free. It's not great experience, but the enemies aren't dangerous and if you sell the potions you can make some extra money."

Sachi smiled at me. "That's great! Thank you so much, Kirito." She placed her hand on mine. "I'd love to talk some more, but my guild is waiting for me."

"Alright," I said. "Feel free to message me if you want to chat, okay?"

"I will," she said. "It was nice meeting all of you!" she said to my sisters.

"Yeah!" Yuuki said, resting against my chest casually. "Same here!"

Ran and Leafa both echoed Yuuki's sentiments. With another wave, Sachi left the inn.

I wish everything was back to normal after that, but I was feeling... weird and distracted. I barely even noticed when Sugu walked out of the bathroom in just a towel.

Normally, if I felt like that, I'd head out and kill some monsters until I could clear my head, but the promise I made to Aiko still weighed on me. I'd promised her I'd stop heading out.

But I just couldn't get Sachi out of my head.

It got so bad that I couldn't fall asleep right away, despite the early morning and long day ahead of us tomorrow. I took a look to make sure my sisters were sleeping, and then carefully swung my legs out of bed. One of the perks of sleeping alone, in addition to making sure my sisters didn't try anything, was that I could slip out of the room without disturbing anyone. Once the door was safely shut behind me, I went downstairs to the cafe.

Sipping at some hot chocolate a few minutes later, I weighed my options. Mrrrr... Growling under my breath, I reluctantly swiped open my menu and tapped the name, barely preventing myself from looking away as I did so.

A quick message asking for advice later, and I slumped over the counter, already regretting my decision. This was a bad idea...

Almost immediately my message notification started exploding non-stop. Wincing, I opened up my menu and started from the top of Argo's messages.

'Wait'

'are you serious'

'you dont know whats going on?'

'YOU'

'have a crush'

'on some girl'

'hahahaha omg that's amazing'

Argo had the bad habit of sending a lot of smaller, individual message when he got excited. It was really annoying sometimes, especially when he spammed me during a boss raid back before SAO.

And the messages were flying by. I'd just barely caught up before more appeared.

'soo tell me tell me'

'who's the girl'

'do i know her'

'is it one of your sisters you dog :p'

'kiritoooooo tell meeeeee'

When the flood of messages finally trickled to a halt, I shook my head and replied. 'It's someone I knew from RL. Remember the Moonlit Black Cats, that small guild I helped out and chatted with? Turns out Sachi is, uh... yeah.'

Argo's reply was, surprisingly, a couple full sentences. 'Yeah? What do you like about her? C'mon, you asked me for advice, I need to know more.'

Cheeks burning, I answered.

'She's cute and you think her hair's pretty? Jeeeez Kirito you're an idiot.'

'seriously though if you think you wanna ask her out go ahead'

'just make sure you're okay with, y'know? I know your sisters mean a lot to you, and if you get a girlfriend that might change.'

'*with it'

'I'm not gonna stop you'

'might ask to join in later BUT'

'not gonna stop you'

I swiped my menu closed, groaning at Argo's teasing. Ughhhh.

Still, he _did_ bring up some good points, in between all the joking. Sachi was nice and all, and she was pretty, but...

Sighing, I picked up my mug of hot chocolate and sipped at it. I really don't know.

Strong arms twined around my neck and down my chest, and I looked over to see Leafa standing behind me. "Mm..." she mumbled sleepily. "Thought you'd still be up, Kazuto..."

"Sorry," I said, "did I wake you?"

She shook her head before taking a seat next to me. "Nn-nn. I could tell something was wrong ever since we ate. I knew you'd still be up worrying about it." Leafa smiled at me.

"Am I that easy to read?" I asked, scratching my cheek.

Leafa giggled. "Only to me, Kazuto, and only because I've known you for so long. You always do that, y'know. Keep quiet until you know you won't bother us." She leaned back in her chair, staring into space. "It's really sweet of you, but you don't need to do that. We love you, Kazuto, and we always will."

"Thanks," I said, looking away.

She smirked. "And besides, it'll be easier to convince you to marry me if you spend more time with me, so it's a win-win!"

"…Thanks?"

"You promised~," she sang before her expression softened to a smile. "We're right here, Kazuto. Talk to us. If you want."

"I..." I sighed and shook my head. "No... No, I think you already helped me make my decision. Thank you."

That's right. As pretty as Sachi was, it wasn't worth losing my family. I'd already almost destroyed my bond with them once before; I couldn't risk it again. And while I didn't _think_ they'd disappear, I... liked them the way they were right now.

"Well, that's good," Leafa said. Quickly, she leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek before scurrying away, cheeks and ears bright red. "Night!" she squeaked before disappearing upstairs.

"...Night," I said with a smile.

My sisters were bizarre, yeah. Strange, yeah. And way too blatant with their affection for me.

But I didn't want them any other way.

* * *

 **Really the most important part of this chapter is that Argo is in it.**

 **Yep. Nothing to do with the end of the introductory arc of chapters, or how Kazuto has managed to capture the heart of another girl (though to be fair Sachi's harbored a minor crush on the guy since he helped them out in the original MMO) or some other little tidbits of information that're definitely not Chekhov guns. Check the guy's mantle, there are like ZERO GUNS up there. Uh huh.**

 **Nope, it's all about our favorite Best Girl Argo.**

 **(me play favorites with a character? nahhhhh)**

 **(stealth edits to fix some stupid mistakes with floor numbers and levels and stuff. ugh, this is why you shouldn't write while exhausted, folks)**

 **Anyway, joking aside, this really is the end of what I'm imagining as the first arc, Logging In. We've covered the introduction, the basic relationships between Kazuto and each member of his family, and a few of the other girls.**

 **The first scene is just something that came to me, since I wanted some cute interaction between Kazuto and Aiko. It's short but sweet, right? (I hope.) (also apologies for the l-lewd h-hand holdi… i cant even finish oh my it's too lewd)**

 **The second scene is two halves. The first half is the girls talking in the forest and complaining about Sugu's poor – or brilliant? (probably poor) – sleeping purchases. I'm kinda imagining this one-and-a-half size sleeping bag that's just big enough for two people if they cuddle, and Sugu takes advantage of this mercilessly. All about the hugs and pressing her chest against his back to drive home her best advantage.**

 **The second half is the Moonlit Black Cats; and I didn't actually expect them to show up this early, and then they totally did and Sachi et al already knew Kazuto and it somehow worked out? Neato. And yes, I probably did a poor job of explaining what was going on, but little Kazuto finally had his first crush on a girl that wasn't Sugu (it was a thing when they were kids and he made that marriage promise, okay) and was very confuzzled about girl and feelings and so needed the advice of his best bro.**

 **In the end, he's chosen his sisters over Sachi, and that'll lead us into Arc 2: Getting Up.**

 **(next chapter features asuna, and yuuki being adorable so yaaaaaaaaay best girl yuuki at it again)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

I yawned and stretched, enjoying the chance to kick back and relax. My sisters and I had just finished a week-long dungeon run, and we were _all_ ready to take a break. Sure, it was only dinnertime, but Aiko had literally growled at me when I asked if they wanted to spend a little more time after eating to finish off the day.

Sugu and Yuuki were nodding furiously right along with her, so I was outvoted; we would head back to the nearest inn, take turns in the bathroom and get clean, then go get something to eat. Any attempt to talk about fighting, monsters, or anything not related to relaxing was, according to Yuuki, "Absolutely, a hundred percent double-forbidden, Big Bro."

"Yeah," Sugu had said. "And the first person to break that rule pays a forfeit!"

I frowned when all of them looked sideways at me. I wasn't _that_ bad.

"Alright," I had said, raising my hands in surrender. "To town it is."

Once I had capitulated, Aiko had groaned in relief, her shoulders slumping. "Oh, thank you," she had sighed.

All in all, we were all really satisfied when we passed through the town gates and 'Safe Zone' appeared in our vision. Through unanimous decision, baths were a priority for everyone.

Aiko and Yuuki grabbed the bathroom first; it was big enough for two people, as we'd discovered the first night we stayed at the inn. Meanwhile, Sugu and I relaxed on the beds in the room, taking the chance to unwind. When I looked her way, Sugu smiled at me from her lazy sprawl on the girls' bed. "Wanna take a bath together?" she asked innocently, her cheeks turning a little red. "It'll be just like old times, right?"

"N-No thanks," I said, looking away from her. "You know if I do that, Aiko and Yuuki will get jealous."

"They could have asked too," Sugu muttered. "Fine..."

After about ten minutes, I stood up and told her, "I'm gonna go take a walk. The twins should be done soon, so you can go ahead next."

"'Kay, Kazuto," Sugu said, her voice muffled. I glanced her way, and she'd buried her face in the pillows, legs kicking in the air idly.

As I went out the door, I heard the inner door open. "Kazuto~," Aiko called out in a voice that sent a shiver down my spine. "Look at~ - oh, he already left..."

I wandered in the halls for a bit, and my feet led me downstairs to the inn counter without really thinking about it. I usually got something to drink after we got back. I sat down, and after a few seconds the bartender swung by and asked me what I wanted to drink. "Uh... I'll have a..." I trailed off, grimacing. I didn't know how to pronounce any of these words. "A Chockolatt Chawd." I gave my best attempt at pronouncing 'Chocolat Chaud', and the bartender didn't play his confused animation, so it worked.

The steaming mug he put in front of me was nice and warm, and when I took a careful sip I hummed in satisfaction at the smooth chocolate taste.

After finishing the mug and paying my bill, I stood up from my seat and headed back upstairs to check if Sugu was out of her bath yet. I knocked and opened the door to the room, stepping through - just as Sugu opened the _bathroom_ door and stepped out. The only thing she was wearing was a bath towel wrapped tightly around her chest and - I realized I was staring and tore my eyes away, looking over at the bed. Aiko was sitting there, watching the two of us with a smirk on her face, while Yuuki was happily brushing her twin's hair.

This sort of situation wasn't unexpected, and normally I was used to seeing my sisters wander around with just a towel on. Sugu had 'accidentally' walked out of the bathroom before, and Aiko seemed to take glee in ambushing me without clothes, so most of the time I could just ignore it.

The problem was, 'normally' didn't include a week spent in a dungeon - fortunately, I'd thought ahead and purchased my own sleeping bag a while back, despite Sugu's attempt at puppy eyes - and the timing was just so incredibly perfect that my mind glitched.

"Oh, hi, Kazuto," Sugu said casually. She was always casual about it, too. "The bath is free."

"I can see that, thanks," I said.

"I can wash your back, if you want."

"N-no, it's fine," I said before coughing. "I'll take my bath... Um, excuse me."

I stepped past Sugu - or tried, at least. She seemed reluctant to get out of the doorway, and when I squeezed past her I brushed up against her. Sugu was surprisingly soft where I'd touched her, and she smelled nice after her bath, and -

 _She's my sister, I will not think about that, she's my sister, I will not think about that, she's my cou- She's my sister..._

...

The next time we stopped at an inn, it happened again! Oh, it wasn't the exact same; the bartender NPC was different, and the inn room wasn't the exact same, but everything else was eerily familiar, right down to the moment where I walked through the door to see Sugu walking out into our room, fresh from the bath. "Hi, Big Bro," Yuuki said. This time, Aiko was sprawled out on the bed, reading; the younger twin sister was hugging one of the pillows.

Aiko just rolled over onto her back and didn't even look up from her book. "Welcome back, Kazuto."

"Hey, hey, Big Bro, can I take a bath with you tomorrow? It's been _aaaages_ ," Yuuki said, kicking her legs out for emphasis. Unfortunately, she accidentally nudged Aiko, who squeaked and rolled over awkwardly before grumbling at Yuuki.

"Sorry, Yuuki," I said, trying not to look at Sugu.

Of course, that meant I was looking at Yuuki; my little sister puffed her cheeks out in a pout, looking weapons-grade adorable. "Awww," she protested.

"I wouldn't want Aiko to feel left out, y'know?" I said.

Aiko looked up at me upside down, craning her neck back, and smiled lazily. "Oh, I wouldn't feel left out," she said. "And if I did, I'd just have to join you two, wouldn't I?"

I fled into the bathroom at that point, Sugu and Aiko's giggles following me.

...

Over and over again, the pattern would repeat itself. We'd go out for the day, or maybe longer, and then when we got back to the inn room, it'd be bath time. Sugu would let Aiko and Yuuki go first, and doing nothing and just sitting around grated on me, so I went to take a walk. After getting something to drink, I'd return, and every time I walked into the room Sugu was just exiting her bath, wearing nothing but a towel.

While we were exploring Floor 19, we had a few weeks in a row where there weren't any inns available, and so by the time we reached the next town, I'd forgotten all about what happened when we stopped at the inns. So, when we finally got into our rooms, I went on my usual walk downstairs to order something to drink while the girls took their baths in peace - or, at least, my peace. If I wasn't in the room, they wouldn't try something ridiculous.

After I sat down, the bartender drifted over, but instead of the usual ordering dialogue, he said, "I've heard you're a regular, son."

"...I am?" I asked. Was this a quest?

The bartender nodded before going into an idle routine of picking up a glass and polishing it. "Mhm. I've got a couple of business associates out in Tolsense that say you've been ordering there pretty regularly."

Well, I guess... We'd been staying in Tolsense for a while, and I usually ordered something to drink once a night. Maybe I'd stumbled onto a quest trigger by accident? "I have," I said carefully. "Do you need anything?"

"Nothing at the moment," he said, and I sighed. Of course not. "So, what'll you be having tonight?"

Shaking my head, I looked at the menu and ordered something. Like usual, I mangled the pronunciation and ducked my head.

After I finished my drink, I headed back upstairs and opened the door to see that Sugu had finished up her bath before I got back and was sitting on the bed with Aiko and Yuuki. She seemed almost upset about something, but I wasn't really sure what. I suddenly remembered what had happened the last two times we'd found ourselves in this sort of situation, and sighed. "Are you _mad_ I didn't walk in on you?" I asked her.

"...Maybe."

I just shook my head and headed into the bathroom. That wasn't something I wanted to touch at all if I could help it. I think it'd be best if Sugu started taking her baths first from now on...

* * *

Floor 20 hadn't been that bad, all things considered; combining the surprisingly easy mobs and player-friendly forest environment with a surge of confidence and energy that had carried the Front Lines through the last five floors with ease, we'd only been on the Floor for a week and the Boss Door had already been found. My sisters and I had taken the day off to attend the Boss Meeting.

There was just a small problem with that.

"I can't believe... Ugh!"

I exchanged a glance with everyone. I knew I recognized that voice. "Hey, isn't that..." Leafa said slowly.

"Yeah," I said with a nod. Looks like they remember her too.

We approached the meeting location Argo had told us about, and sure enough a girl with long chestnut-colored hair was pacing back and forth just outside the large hollow tree that served as the closest Safe Zone to the Labyrinth. She was muttering to herself under her breath, her hand resting on the rapier strapped to her hip. "...they just... won't let me -" She broke off as we approached, and suddenly stared at us. "I-Is that you?" Asuna asked. "Kirito? Everyone?"

"Hi, Asuna!" Yuuki said happily, waving. "We're here for the fight! Are you?"

Asuna had been starting to smile, but Yuuki's words triggered a frown instead. "I wish I could," she said, rubbing at her forehead, "but... the big guilds are refusing to work with any solo players. I tried to join in the conversation, but the Holy Dragon Alliance and the Aincrad Liberation Squad all but kicked me out."

"Is that cactus-head still in charge?" Yuuki asked her, and Asuna sighed. "Man... That sucks."

I nodded. We'd run into Lind and Kibaou before, on the lower floors, and it was never a pleasant encounter. At least it had never come to blows, but Kibaou's attitude towards me never failed to make my sisters mad.

"Yuu, he's not all that bad," Ran said. "His heart seems to be in the right place, at least."

"Yeah, but he's always super mean to Big Bro." Yuuki folded her arms. "I can't forgive that."

For some reason, Asuna had a strange look on her face when Yuuki mentioned me. "Uh, Asuna," I said carefully, rubbing the back of my head, "sorry... About leaving you after the first Floor, I mean."

She looked at me, expressions crossing over her face too fast for me to read them, and then finally sigh. "It's okay," she said. "I know you were in a tough position."

Leafa looked at me. "So, wait, Kazuto, does that mean we're not going to be fighting?"

"What?!" Yuuki exclaimed. "No way! I wish those jerks wouldn't be so greedy."

"Don't worry," I told them. "I'm sure once we go talk to the big guilds, everything will work out." Privately, I wasn't so certain as I sounded. Kibaou in particular was stubborn. Still, it was worth the small white lie to see Yuuki smile happily at me.

Giving a confident nod, Yuuki said, "Yeah, let's go, then." Not waiting for another second, she marched towards the entrance to the tree, leading the way. Ran and Leafa followed her.

I paused at the entrance. "Asuna, are you coming?" She had started to follow us, but stopped after a few steps.

Asuna hesitated. "I don't... I want to help, but I just - I feel so powerless, how can I -"

I said, "C'mon, let's go. I'm sure we can sort this out." Without really thinking about it, I reached out to catch her hand and tugged her with me as I turned to follow my sisters.

"K-Kirito, wait-!" Asuna started to say. I turned to look at her, but she had fallen silent and was staring down at the ground. I couldn't see her face.

We entered the hollow tree and immediately the murmuring started. Yuuki seemed like it just rolled off her back, but Ran glanced back to look at me - and then down at my hand. I realized with a start that I was still holding Asuna's hand, and that the rapier-wielder hadn't made a move to let go. With a quiet huff, Ran drifted back until she bumped into our linked hands. Asuna suddenly let out a little gasp and let go of my hand; Ran immediately grabbed my arm and clung to it possessively. I looked down at her, and she just smiled innocently at me.

On my other side, Leafa grabbed my other arm and hugged it to her chest, trapping my arm between two soft mounds. When I looked at her, though, her eyes were straight ahead and her ears were burning red.

Hah... My sisters were so clingy...

"Hi!" Yuuki chirped, waving without a care in the world to the assembled players. "We're here for the boss fight!" There were a few ugly mutters from the Liberation Squad, but nobody spoke up. "Huh?" Yuuki said, tilting her head. "Is something wrong?"

"I tried to tell you earlier," Asuna said, glaring at the front of the room. I recognized Lind and Kibaou, so I guess they were the ones talking about the plan. "They aren't very welcoming of the solo players."

"She's mad," Leafa whispered.

Ran nodded and whispered back, "Really mad."

Lind shook his head. "I know it might _sound_ that way, but it really isn't," he said. "We have no way of making sure you're strong enough to survive in a boss raid, especially since you're not used to being part of a group. Being in a guild would mean you're used to working with others, and strong enough to-"

"You _know_ I'm strong enough, Lind!" Asuna's voice cracked out like a whip. At the same time, I knew arguing wouldn't get us anywhere. We couldn't risk undermining their leadership. "Just..."

At the same time, though, that meant we couldn't point out the obvious flaws in his argument. Just being in a guild didn't mean you could handle a boss. Sachi and the Moonlit Black Cats were a good example of that. There were also the warning stories of guilds that tried to fight and, well... There had been casualties before, like that guild of those guys that dressed like samurais.

"You know my offer still stands, Asuna," Lind said. "If you beat me, the Holy Dragon Alliance's best player, in a duel, that'll prove you're capable enough to survive."

Asuna grimaced, and I couldn't blame her. Duels were dangerous. Especially with what could happen if the players weren't careful - there had been a player that tried to abuse critical hits to kill people down on Floor 3. If that was Lind's condition, it made sense that Asuna was so upset.

But that was okay, because we had a secret weapon.

Yuuki turned and looked at me, and I nodded. She sent me a huge smile in return before saying to Lind, "I'll fight ya!"

"I'm sorry?"

Yuuki grinned. I could tell even without looking, that's how well I knew my little sister. "I'll fight ya! But only if you let all of us join in."

"It makes sense, right?" I said, speaking up for the first time. "If Yuuki beats you, then we'll have proven she's strong enough, and we'll be working together with Asuna. That's everything, right? We're strong, and used to working together?"

Yuuki nodded. "Yeah, what Big Bro said!"

"You filthy Be-" Kibaou started to snarl, before Lind's raised hand cut him off. Kibaou grumbled, taking a while to be quiet.

"Are you sure?" Lind asked Yuuki.

"Yeah! Why wouldn't I be?"

I had to hand it to her, my little sister _really_ liked fighting. Every time I teased her about it, though, she always said, 'Yeah! Almost as much as I like you, Big Bro! But that's because I'll always love you the most!'

Yuuki's declaration had definitely been an unexpected dialogue option for the meeting, and the players started talking among themselves while Lind and Kibaou whispered to each other up at the front. Asuna stepped forward and Yuuki turned to look at her. "Why would you do that?" Asuna hissed.

"Do what?"

"Put yourself in danger! It's not your fight, you didn't have to..."

Yuuki shook her head. "No, it's important that I fight right now," she said seriously. "'Cause, we're gonna be fighting alongside these guys later, right?"

Asuna shook her head. "But, Yuuki..."

Yuuki smiled at Asuna. "Sometimes, you just gotta know someone! And the best way to do that is to go all out against 'em, and make them go all out against you!"

Asuna's eyes widened at Yuuki's declaration.

I chuckled and reached out, ruffling Yuuki's hair. She leaned into the headpat with a happy giggle. "Go on, get ready," I told her. "If I remember, the best player in the HDA is Lind himself. He uses... heavy armor and a greatsword-shield combo. Think you can handle it?"

"Leave it to me!" Yuuki chirped.

Before too much longer, the players had moved over to the edges of the hollow tree to open up a space for Yuuki and Lind. My sister was lightly bouncing on her feet, while Lind was standing solidly. "Are you sure? This is your last chance to back out," Lind said.

Yuuki just grinned. "This is my chance to impress Big Bro! I'm not gonna back down now!"

"Kirito," Asuna hissed, "you need to stop her! If anyone should fight Lind, it should be you!"

"Alright," Lind said. "Have it your way." He swiped open his menu and tapped it four times. The duel screen appeared in front of Yuuki. "It's standard rules, half-life to make sure-"

Yuuki had already accepted the duel before Lind finished his sentence. I just sighed and shook my head; beside me, Ran muttered something about over-excited twin sisters under her breath.

"Oh no," Asuna breathed. "Why? Why didn't you stop her? You _know_ how much they idolize you, don't you?"

I raised my hands and leaned away from her angry face. "Hey, t-take it easy, Asuna," I said. "Everything's under control."

Asuna leaned in closer. "You're the strongest, aren't you? Back on Floor 1 you were, anyway."

I chuckled uneasily, scratching my cheek. "Um... I guess you haven't heard? No, you wouldn't..."

The timer had about ten seconds left, and Yuuki was standing confidently, blade unsheathed.

"I might have been the strongest swordsman in the early game, but that was because I had more experience than she did."

The timer buzzed, reaching zero, and Yuuki _exploded_ forward, the point of her sword driving towards Lind's body. He only barely managed to block it in time.

"If I were to fight her now," I admitted shamelessly, "Yuuki would be a match for me, easily. With enough practice, she'll be practically unbeatable."

It was a totally unfair match. Yuuki wasn't letting Lind have a second to breathe, and her acrobatic fighting style made the heavy sweeps of his greatsword a liability instead of a threat. When the rest of us would have to counter or parry the blows, Yuuki just slid under them, her blade nipping at Lind's vulnerable legs.

Asuna was staring at the massacre with wide eyes. "That's why I wasn't worried," I told her. "Because I knew Yuuki would win. Even more than that, she'd wipe the floor with him."

With a crash of metal, Lind hit the ground as a particularly powerful thrust slipped through his guard. "Do ya give up?" Yuuki asked, swinging her sword with a fancy flourish. She stole it from me.

"I yield," Lind growled.

As the duel complete fanfare played, Yuuki turned around and beamed at me and my sisters, throwing up a V for victory. "Yes! I did it!" she cheered, running over to us. "Are you proud of me, Big Bro!"

"Very proud," I said, reaching out to pat her head. She giggled happily. "You did a good job, Yuuki."

"Eheheheh," she laughed. "Praise me more, Big Bro!"

Asuna was watching Yuuki with a strange expression on her face. "Why did you fight him?" she asked. "There had to be another way, that didn't put anybody at risk."

Yuuki leaned against me and tugged my arms around her so that I was lightly hugging her. "Like I said earlier!" she said brightly. "Because that way I got to know what kind of person Lind is! And also, because sometimes, you've gotta fight to stand up for what you want."

"Oh..."

Yuuki grinned, nestling against my chest. "So I'm not gonna give up! I'm gonna keep fighting and trying to impress Big Bro until he finally makes me his!"

I groaned quietly as what felt like the entire front lines stared at me. Asuna's face went bright red. "That's right... Y-y-you... With your sis-sister..." she stammered.

"Yuuki," I sighed. "What have I told you?"

Yuuki frowned in thought, craning her neck back to look up at me. "Don't do things like this in public, because you get embarrassed?"

Asuna, somehow, blushed brighter. "You do... things like that... in private?!" she hissed.

"N-no!" I said. "That's not what she meant, she meant-"

Before I could clear up the misunderstanding, Ran slipped under my arm and snuggled against my chest, next to her twin sister. "Kirito, no fair leaving me out and just playing with Yuu," she complained petulantly. "Play with me too~..." Naturally, her eyes were gleaming with mischief, though since she was looking up at me I was the only one that could see.

"Y-Yeah," Leafa said. "Yuuki's not the only one that wants you!" Of course, her cheeks were red and she wouldn't meet my eyes, but my only sister related by blood was staking her claim too.

I looked over to Asuna for help, but the rapier-wielder blushed redder than before and looked away from me. "Pervert," she muttered. Her words felt like a critical hit straight to my heart...

...

That night, I was about to go to sleep when I got a message from Argo. I looked at it, since it might have been a new event, or maybe some last-minute information that we'd need to know - something important, in other words.

It wasn't.

'Hey, hey, Kirito, I've heard this really weird rumor about this one guy on the front lines. They're saying he goes around and is doing naughty things with his RL siblings~! Sound like anyone we know? I'm thinking about calling the rumor The Siscon Swordsman.'

'I'm going to sleep, Argo.'

'Oooh, since all your, I mean his, equipment is black, maybe The Black Siscon works better?'

 _System Message:_ _ **Kirito**_ _has muted_ _ **Argo**_ _for_ _ **12 hours**_

I closed my menu and rolled over, trying very hard to pretend that the last half of today didn't happen.

Though... when she stood up to Lind for everyone's sake, Yuuki really was cool back there, wasn't she...

* * *

 **Oh look I'm back with a chapter. Shorter, but I'm okay with that because it flowed pretty well while I was writing it, and the chapter wanted to end there.**

 **Also because Argo is in the chapter. This is the important metric that all chapters are judged by – good chapters include Argo, bad chapters do not. This is a fact.**

 **Anyway, we've entered Arc 2: Getting Up. (yes some of you might have picked up on the play on words, it was intentional) This one'll probably involve heavier focus on Kirito getting used to the girls' affections, as well as the girls ramping up their efforts. I mean, Yuuki probably won't, but that's because she's always going at everything a hundred percent.**

 **Speaking of Yuuki, let's talk about Sugu. First half of the chapter was Best Girl Sugu showing off just how well she knows her beloved big brother. Not much more than that, but it's mostly just an intro to the intensity of their attacks in Arc 2.**

 **Second half of the chapter involved Asuna returning (yay? All imoutos battle stations whoop whoop canon heroine siren whoop whoop) as well as Yuuki being kinda awesome. The important parts of this one is Yuuki reaffirming her decision to go after Big Bro, as well as Yuuki completely wrecking Lind.**

 **Really, not much happens here, and if it weren't for the important set-up happening here in preparation for later chapters I'd like to just skip past it, but we're here for Team Kiss x Sis being adorable, and that's what we're getting. So harrumph, humbug, and other grumpy noises.**

 **Thanks all for reading and (hopefully) enjoying.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

"We're heading out!" Sugu called to me and Yuuki.

It was a lazy morning so far, and I was relaxing on the inn bed, arms folded behind my head. Yuuki was on the other bed, humming to herself and tapping in her menu.

Meanwhile, Aiko and Sugu had claimed the duty of going shopping to refill our party's supply of health potions and crystals. That's where both of them were heading while Yuuki and I kicked back and relaxed.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Aiko said to her twin, before grinning slyly. "Of course, if you _do_ do anything, I wouldn't mind~."

"Okay!" Yuuki said happily. "But I don't think I can convince Big Bro..."

"You can't."

"Aww," the twins chorused. I just shook my head.

With another wave, Aiko and Sugu left, closing the door behind them. I shifted my weight and closed my eyes, taking the chance to get a nap. When we were fighting for our lives every day, it was important to nap when we could. Otherwise, the stress would keep building up.

Plus, with the inn window open, the fresh breeze and sound of birds was really relaxing. In fact, I felt myself starting to... drift...

...

 _"Alright," my aunt said. "Here we are, you three."_

 _Yuuki and Aiko kept tight hold of my hands as we peered up at the house. "Wow," the twins breathed together._

 _"Uh, Mom," I said, trying out the new word. It felt weird, but... nice. "This place is really big..."_

 _My au- My mom turned from walking up the path to the door and smiled. "Well, we'll need plenty of room, with four kids running around."_

 _Four? "But there's only three of us here," Yuuki said._

 _Mom didn't answer right away, just unlocking the door and holding it open for us. We all walked inside, looking around curiously. It looked like a normal house so far, with an entrance where we could take our shoes off. Yuuki looked like she wanted to just go exploring right away, but at the same time she refused to let go of my hand._

 _"I'm home," Mom called out. "My husband - your new father," she added to us, "is away on business a lot. My work is demanding, but I promise I'll be home as soon as I can."_

 _The thump of feet racing towards us made Yuuki and Aiko huddle behind me, and I stood in front of them protectively. "Welcome home!" a young girl called out before running down the stairs and skidding to a halt the second she caught sight of us._

 _She looked a little like me, I think. Her hair was black like mine and the twins, though it was only as long as Yuuki's. A flower hair pin was in the left part of her hair, while two clips were in the same part on the right side. She was wearing a white dress, too._

 _The girl peered at us. "Mom, are these..."_

 _"Say hello to your new siblings, Sugu," Mom said. "Kazuto, Aiko, Yuuki, this is Suguha. She's four years old, so a year younger than you, Kazuto."_

 _"So she's... a year older than us?" Aiko asked, nose scrunched up as she did the math in her head, and Mom nodded._

 _Suguha looked at me, then smiled. "Hi! I really wanted a big brother, and now I have one! And I'm gonna be the best big sister ever, too!"_

 _I nudged Aiko and Yuuki. "Say hello, you two," I said._

 _"Hi," Aiko said._

 _"...Hi," Yuuki said._

 _I smiled at them, then turned to Suguha. "Um... I'm Kazuto, and this is Aiko and Yuuki," I said. "We're gonna be living with you from now on, Suguha."_

 _I worked one hand free from Aiko's grasp - she clung onto my waist instead, which was okay - and gave Suguha a little wave._

 _"Okay, big brother," Suguha chirped. "But you have to call me Sugu, okay?"_

 _Wow, she was really cute._

...

"Hey, hey, Big Bro... Are you awake?"

Yuuki's soft voice woke me up from my light doze. I opened my eyes as the mattress shifted and saw Yuuki sitting next to me, cross-legged and staring at me. "Hey, Yuuki," I said with a smile. "What's up?"

"Nothin'."

I raised an eyebrow, and she just tilted her head innocently. "Ooookay?" I said, drawing it out, and then closed my eyes again. They joked, but I trusted my sisters not to do anything to me.

 _Poke._

I frowned at the finger gently poking my cheek.

 _Poke poke._

I sighed and cracked open an eye. Yuuki sat there innocently, as though she hadn't been poking me. "Stop it," I sighed.

"Stop what?"

I just sighed again and closed my eyes.

 _Poke poke._

"Yuuki," I grumbled, "knock it off."

Yuuki giggled again. "I'm not doing anything, Big Bro~. Or, um... how would Sis say this..." she muttered, then cleared her throat. "I can do _something else_ , if you'd prefer..." I looked at her, and she was toying with the hem of her blouse.

It was kinda cute to hear her try to mimic how Aiko flirted, even if it was really weird. "I don't think that really works, Yuuki."

She shook her head. "Yeah, I didn't think so. I'm better with the straightforward stuff anyway!"

I smiled at her and then went back to my nap.

After a few seconds, I waited for Yuuki to start poking my cheek again. When nothing started bothering me, I relaxed a little bit and-

 _Poke poke poke-_

"That's it," I growled, snapping my eyes open. Yuuki started giggling, snatching her finger back. "Time for some payback!"

Yuuki tried to scramble away, but I was faster. I was able to wrap my arms around Yuuki before she could get away, and with a tug she fell back onto the bed, sprawling and flailing with happy laughter. Her reaction times might be better than mine, but I had higher strength, and in this world it was the stats that really mattered.

"B-Big Bro!" Yuuki giggled. "N-No!"

"Sorry, but you brought this on yourself," I told Yuuki.

A little known fact about Yuuki: she's incredibly ticklish.

Seriously, it only took about five seconds of my hands dancing up and down her ribs to reduce my younger sister to a shrieking, writhing mess. "Eeek!" Yuuki yelped, trying to get away from me, but I followed her relentlessly. "B-Big Bro - hahahah! - st-stop! I c-hahahaha! -can't breathe!"

"You interrupted my nap," I told her imperiously, "so this is punishment! My Tickle Sword Skills!"

Yuuki squirmed, trying unsuccessfully to stifle her laughter, and we wrestled on top of the bed for a few seconds. "Your hands!" she whined. "F-Feel so... hahahah!" She curled in on herself to try to stifle the laughter, but my fingers wrung another moan of pleasure out of her.

Before too much longer, Yuuki was just gasping for air, loudly panting every time she could get a few seconds away from me. I kept up my relentless assault, however, and Yuuki was putty in my hands.

I suddenly felt Yuuki pitch. "Woah!" I yelped as we both went off the bed.

I managed to catch myself on my hands before I crashed on top of Yuuki, but it was a close thing. "You okay, Yuuki?" I asked her.

"Oww..." she murmured. "Mmm, yeah, I'm fine." She grinned up at me, panting to catch her breath. Her cheeks were flushed from my tickle attack. "But wow, Big Bro, you really let me have it."

"It was your own fault," I said to her, lightly tapping her nose with a finger. "You started it."

"Heheh..." Yuuki giggled.

I could feel her hot breath on my cheek, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from her pink lips. I wonder how...

"Big Bro..." my sister whispered.

That was the moment that the door to our room slammed open and Sugu walked in. "Oh!" she said, catching sight of me and Yuuki. I immediately realized how it looked, with me straddling Yuuki on the floor while my little sister was flushed and panting, and scrambled to get off of her. "We're, uh... we're back," Sugu continued weakly, cheeks red as she looked anywhere but at me. "Sorry if I interrupted anything, Yuuki."

I looked around her to see Aiko desperately holding onto Sugu's arm, as if she'd been trying to keep her older sister from bursting into the room. She looked almost disappointed when she saw me and Yuuki sitting next to each other on the floor.

Come to think of it, if they're in my party, can't they hear what's going on inside through the door...?

I blushed.

* * *

"Last time he gave it to me like that," Yuuki said to Leafa, "I couldn't walk for a few hours."

I rolled my eyes as people around us started murmuring. Seriously, this was the planning session for the Floor 25 boss. Me tickling my little sister shouldn't be that interesting.

Ignoring the rest of the players, as well as Leafa's conversation with Yuuki, I focused on the actual meeting. Or, more importantly, Ran, who was standing with the rest of the guild leaders.

I knew I wasn't really a leader, and that my sisters followed me mostly because I was their big brother and knew the game better than they did. There was a reason Ran was the one that handled the boss meetings.

"I'm just saying, we've finally made it a quarter of the way through," Lind was saying. "Once we beat this boss, it'll be a sign that we can defeat this game. We can't hesitate when we're so close."

"But we can't be reckless!" Ran retorted, hands on her hips. "If we rush in without being careful..." She looked over her shoulder at me, and I gave her a reassuring smile. She smiled back prettily and turned back to the table. "If we rush in, we'll screw up. I don't want anyone to get hurt."

Eventually, the meeting broke up with nothing being decided, just like before. Lind was pushing for us to charge in and attack the boss in an all-out assault, and Kibaou seemed like he was in favor of that. Ran was trying to argue for keeping to the tried-and-true pattern of scouting out the boss first.

The biggest problem, I think, was that there weren't enough guilds taking place in the meetings. The Aincrad Liberation Squad and the Holy Dragon Alliance were so big that they had a stranglehold on the best grinding spots, so smaller guilds were forced to play catch up. They were even clashing over quests a few times, or so I'd heard.

Oh well. With just the four of us, my sisters and I could take some of the smaller grinding areas with equal rewards. That, plus a few repeatable quests that Argo managed to scrounge up for us, kept us on the front lines.

"Kirito," Ran said, looking up at me, "you're thinking hard. Fantasizing about us?"

"N-No," I spluttered, ignoring the comments from the players walking near us about 'that guy with the sisters'. "Just... thinking about the front lines."

Ran sighed. "One of these days... Anyway, did I do a good job?"

"You did," I told her. "I don't know if it'll be enough, but I'm still proud of you."

My little sister giggled. "Well, then, show it!" I blinked at her. "Carry me home," she continued.

I sighed, shaking my head, and smiled. "Alright, fine," I said, giving in to her pleading eyes. Not nearly devastating as Yuuki's pouts, but they _were_ twins. "Hop on." I knelt down.

Ran didn't waste any time hopping up on my back, wrapping her legs around my waist and pressing her body to my back, arms crossed on my chest. "Mmhmm," she sighed happily. "This is definitely better."

"No fair," Leafa complained. "You don't give _me_ rides, Kazuto."

"That's because you're too top-heavy," Ran said, sticking her tongue out at Leafa.

"I am not!"

"Be nice," I said to the older twin. She giggled and nuzzled my neck with her nose, her breath tickling the skin. "You really are doing a great job, though, Ran," I said as we walked back to the inn room we'd rented.

Yuuki nodded furiously, walking next to me on my right. "Yeah! You're so cool up when you're up there, Sis!"

Ran hummed, happily pressing herself closer against my back as she tightened her arms. I tried to ignore the soft curves touching me. "Hey, Kirito," she said, murmuring near my ear. My body twitched, and I knew that if I looked at her she'd be smiling at what she managed to cause. I wish I were sitting down so I could cross my legs. "I'm worried about Kibaou. When we left, he was stomping off and looking really upset at the wait. He might do something stupid, y'know?"

"It'd be easier to tell me that if I weren't carrying you," I pointed out. She just laughed quietly. "Anyway, um... I don't know, Ran," I sighed. "We can't really stop him if he tries to attack the boss without us, but at the same time I don't want him to attack alone. That's just asking for trouble."

"So, keep an eye on him, got it," Ran said.

See? That's why she handled all that stuff with the other guilds. She was a natural leader, and I definitely wasn't. At our life's char gen, she must have chosen the diplomat class or something.

When we got back to our inn room, I waited for Aiko to hop off. "Uh, Aiko," I said when she showed no signs of doing so.

"Yeah?"

I sighed. "We're home, you can get off now."

"Aww," she whined, but finally let go of me, dropping to the ground with a light tap. "Alright," she said, smoothing out her skirt, "Sugu, Yuu, I heard there was a really nice open-air bath in town, do you wanna go check it out?"

Sugu's eyes lit up. "That sounds wonderful," she sighed. "It's been so long since I could just have a nice soak… Kazuto, will you be coming to join us? Even if it's not mixed bathing, we wouldn't mind…"

I shook my head, inwardly chuckling at the redness in her cheeks. "I have some things I need to take care of first," I said. "By the time I'm done, you'll probably be out of the bath and it'll be time for dinner by that time."

"No way," Yuuki frowned petulantly, clinging to my arm. "You have to come take a bath with us, Big Bro! How can I seduce you if you're not there?"

My response wasn't exactly words. I looked at Aiko plaintively. "Aiko," I asked, "please…"

She clearly took pity on me, reaching over to lightly bop Yuuki on the head. "C'mon, Yuu," she said. "Let Big Bro go and let's go."

"Okay," Yuuki said, releasing my arm and obediently following her older twin.

Thank goodness for Aiko. She was the only one that could handle Yuuki when the younger twin was acting up, but more than that she'd realized I needed the others to leave me alone for a little bit without me so much as saying a word.

She was really amazing.

"Something wrong?" Aiko asked, pausing just before she closed the door.

"No, nothing," I said hurriedly.

She preened. "So you were just admiring my body?"

"Get out of here, Aiko."

Her laughter echoed as she ducked out of the inn room, catching up with my other two sisters. I shook my head, smiling fondly as I pushed the door shut.

Once I was alone in the room, I lied back on the bed and pulled up my menu, going to the messaging window with ease of practice. As I got comfortable on the bed, I started tapping out the message to Argo I wanted to send. Essentially, just asking him to keep an eye on Kibaou, and to warn me if he hears anything in the next few days.

A few minutes after I sent the message, Argo replied. 'Sure I'll keep an eye on the guy, Kirito. It'll cost you if I hear anything, though.'

'That's fine.'

I figured that was everything from him and started working on the rest of my messaging when I suddenly got another message from Argo.

'So how about your little sisters, huh? From what I've heard, you're working on quite the harem. What's this I hear about you carrying home Ran? Too much… excitement with you, and she couldn't walk?'

I smacked my forehead. Why do I expect anything different from him?

The next day, we went out to grind some mobs for upgrade materials. It was okay, since the next meeting wasn't until that afternoon. We'd have plenty of time to get as many materials as we could, and then maybe swing by a blacksmith if we got enough.

We had just finished clearing the latest area of mobs and were about to head over to the next group when I suddenly got a message. In front of me, Ran shifted, and I realized that she got one as well. That probably wasn't anything good.

My message was from Argo. 'Kirito, better get your butt over to the Labyrinth ASAP. That cactus idiot took matters into his own hand and charged the boss with half of the ALS. Pretty sure he's gonna need backup, according to one of the ALS that ran the boss is way harder than the others.'

"Ran," I said, my voice tight.

She looked over and nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I just got a message from Lind."

Leafa and Yuuki were looking at us in confusion. "What's going on?" Leafa asked. "Is something bad happening?"

"Kibaou led a force against the boss, trying to get in and kill it," Ran said. Yuuki's eyes widened, and Leafa pressed a hand to her mouth in silent horror. "We have to get there right away."

"Let's go," I barked, turning and breaking into a run. My sisters were right behind me, used to my habit of just bolting by this point.

When we reached the entrance to the Labyrinth, the Holy Dragon Alliance and the other small guilds had already gathered. "Good, you're here," Lind said. He might not like me personally, but he wasn't the kind of person to turn down four powerful players in a boss fight. "Everyone ready? Let's go!"

Everyone rushed for the boss room. Floor 25 had been more difficult than the other floors, and the mobs weren't any different. "They must have respawned already," Ran gasped as she stamped and thrust with her spear, impaling an enemy and holding it in place long enough for Leafa to cut it in half. "We're not going to make it in time!"

"We have to," I said. She just looked at me, then nodded grimly and kept swinging.

As the Clearers got closer to the boss room, the mobs started thinning out. I guess the ALS must have passed through more recently, or at least taken a break before coming this far.

The problem was, moving faster through the Labyrinth meant we heard the shouting and screams that much faster.

"No..." Leafa breathed. Yuuki was frowning, her grip on her sword tight.

It was even worse when we finally reached the boss. The massive two-headed giant roared, the two pitches off from each other just enough that it made my head throb, and swung a metal club. It smashed into the ground and sent more armored players flying.

One died before he hit the ground. Most fell to the ground with a crash, groaning before trying to scramble to their feet.

I tried to focus on the boss and not the heavily injured players running past me for the boss entrance. Argo had mentioned that Kibaou took 40 of his guild members with him. I couldn't help but count, and I barely reached half that number.

"Kirito..." Ran murmured. I looked at her, and her face was pale. She was shaking, but her lips were set in a firm line. "We have to help them."

I swallowed. I wanted to run. I wanted to run and take my sisters away from this massacre, but how could I possibly do that when my little sister was showing so much courage? If I ran, I'd never be able to look her in the eyes ever again. "Yeah," I said. "Let's go!"

"Right!"

When the boss was finally dead, the Clearers collapsed to the ground where they stood. We'd finally beat a quarter of the game, but nobody was celebrating. The loud fanfare for defeating the boss felt obnoxious and mocking instead of triumphant, like it usually did. Even the normally irrepressible Yuuki was quiet on the way back home to our inn room.

Late that night, I was sending a message to Argo, filling him in on what I'd seen. It was part of the price he demanded for the warning about Kibaou. I mean, I hadn't expected anything else, since Argo was as mercenary as they came. I wouldn't be surprised if he told me he sold information on his grandmother for money.

'That's everything?' was his reply. 'Alright, thanks, Kirito. Everything on this floor was probably harder since this was the quarter-way mark, so hopefully the next floor will be a breather.'

Honestly, I would have preferred to talk with him over the voice chat, one of the few concessions to gameplay that Kayaba had made, but it was late and my sisters were asleep. 'Yeah. This floor was really bad for losses.'

'Anyway, since we're already doing an information swap, here's what I know about the ALS so far. Courtesy of my little Mice, everything they could dig up.'

As I scanned the information Argo sent me, I couldn't help but grin. Information swap? We both knew that was just his way of giving me cheap information. Our friendship didn't extend far enough for me to get it for free, but he seemed to be okay with giving me a discount.

"Mmm... What're you doing up, Kazuto?"

I looked over at Aiko rubbing her eyes sleepily. She looked her age when she was wearing a silky purple nightgown instead of her armor, with no spear slung across her back and a ribbon holding her hair in a loose ponytail. "Hey," I said gently. "I should ask you that, Aiko. Go back to bed."

Instead of going back to bed, she hesitantly took a seat next to me on the bed. I shifted my weight and she accepted the invitation, scooting closer and laying her head on my shoulder. "I..." she began, then stopped. "Are you messaging Argo? Any news on the ALS?" she asked instead.

"Without their leader," I said, staring at the message, "they're retreating to lower floors. They're going to be rebuilding for a while, I think, after losing their strongest members. I don't know if they ever will..."

Aiko yawned. "Who would have thought," she mumbled. "That Kibaou jerk was ruining everything..."

I rubbed her back in small circles, and her breathing slowly deepened and evened out until she was fast asleep, slumped against my shoulder. "You were exhausted, weren't you," I whispered. I'd seen her fighting her hardest back there, unyielding despite her terror, and even the memory of the sight made my heart swell with warmth and affection.

"I was so impressed with how well you handled everything today," I told my sleeping sister. It was easier to say these things when she wasn't awake to hear them. "I always am, but you were amazing out there." I carefully picked her up and carried her over to the bed she shared with Yuuki and Sugu, laying her down between the two. With a murmur, Yuuki - still fast asleep - reached over to hug her twin sister.

"Sleep tight, Aiko," I whispered, smoothing her hair out of her face and tugging the blanket over my sisters' shoulders.

* * *

 **Aww… How sweet.**

 **Unfortunately, not enough Best Girl in this chapter. A shame, I know, but don't worry, Argo will be important in, uh… six or seven more chapters? (i'm so sorry i love her too but all of her influence is either behind the scene stuff or has already happened prior to sao starting so she doesn't come up that much)**

 **The first chunk was just something that popped into my mind. 'Hey, I bet Yuuki is ticklish.' And then that happened. In case the end is a little unclear, Aiko reached the room first and heard the roughhousing. Sugu, once she got there, just opened the door without thinking. Aiko tried to stop Sugu from entering, thinking Yuuki had finally broken their brother's willpower.**

 **The flashback wasn't really intended right away, but then it ALSO just happened. If anyone's wondering, Sugu took to the others so quickly and so fiercely that she forgot they weren't actually her little sisters and/or big brother. Also remember, she was 4. When I was 13 or 14 – Sugu's current age, I'm pretty sure we've passed her birthday by now but not 100% positive – I didn't remember things from back then, so it's entirely plausible she'd forget they were adopted.**

 **Of course, I could be super wrong, I don't know. I don't have siblings, blood or otherwise.**

 **(and what are you talking about, yuuki's super innocent and not being lewd at all) (and kazuto's just tickling her) (you pervs)**

 **The second half was more Aiko-centric, though it was a combination of that and moving the plot along. I decided to kill off Kibaou because fuck it, why not. Also, Sleepy Aiko can be super adorable and clingy, not unlike Sleepy Yuuki.**

 **Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or left a review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

I was incredibly comfortable, and I was glad I didn't have to move for the foreseeable future.

Yuuki and Sugu had headed into town for some shopping, after promising not to get themselves into any trouble, which meant it was just me and Aiko alone in our inn room. While normally that would have been a recipe for disaster, given how aggressively the older twin could act around me, things were working out alright so far.

Aiko and I were resting on my bed, _on top of the covers_ like I insisted, and both of us were absorbed in our own books. I'm not sure where she got manga in Aincrad, but she was enjoying it. I was reading a really neat sci-fi book written a few decades ago that revolved around an intergalactic hospital. What really interested me the most was how the author portrayed the artificial intelligence running the important functions of the space station as an entity that was definitely mechanical in nature, but somehow still human.

Aiko was humming happily as she held her book up in the air to read; she was on her back, legs dangling off the bed, with her head in my lap. While I was reading, my hand was idly stroking Aiko's hair. Her hair was always really soft, even back in the real world, and it was surprisingly nice to run my fingers through her hair.

Plus she tended to let out this little satisfied hum whenever I did it, so I didn't really have a reason to stop. Most of the time she pretended to complain whenever I messed up her hair, but when it was just the two of us she dropped the act. Honestly, I think she liked head pats even more than Yuuki did.

I was in the middle of a chapter when Aiko suddenly started giggling. I looked over at her, and she was staring at me over the edge of her manga. "What's so funny?" I asked her.

She took a few seconds to get herself under control. "Nothing, really," she said. "This book just reminded me of something... Remember a few years back? When we convinced you to dress like a girl for the weekend?"

I sighed, scratching my cheek. "Yeah, I remember," I said. "Not my coolest moment..."

"Aw, but you looked really cute, though. I think Mom still has some pictures."

I couldn't help but smile at the memories, even if they were a little embarrassing. "I looked a lot like Sugu, remember? And Yuuki couldn't figure out what to call me, since Big Sis was already taken."

Aiko laughed. "Haha, yeah! Hmm..." Her laugh trailed off into a speculative look, her eyes roaming all over my face. "I wonder..."

"A-Aiko?"

She smirked at me. "I bet you'd still look really cute if we got you a wig... Maybe a nice skirt, too-"

I shook my head. "Nope, not happening. Not a chance."

Aiko reached up to run a hand down my cheek. "You say that... But we both know how determined I can be."

"Still no."

She looked up at me wide eyes, lip wobbling just a little bit. "Pleeeease? Big Brother?"

I remained firm, despite the way she called me 'Big Brother' feeling like my heart had received a Critical Hit. "Your puppy-dog eyes aren't as effective as your sister's," I told her. They were still effective, of course, but not enough. "Something like _that_ requires the big guns."

Aiko let out a little huff of disappointment and went back to reading her manga. Satisfied with my victory, I returned to my own novel.

I had just started the next chapter when Aiko stirred suddenly. "Hey, Kazuto?" she asked, looking over at me.

I glanced at the page I was on and then closed my book, putting it to the side. "What's up, Aiko?"

Her eyes met mine, and there was steel in her gaze. "My determination isn't just for what we talked about earlier. I mean it, you know. When I say I want _you_."

I swallowed.

She rolled over and sat up, sliding closer to me until she was all but sitting in my lap. I couldn't look away from her eyes, feeling like a mouse hypnotized by a snake. "And I won't _ever_ give up. Not until you're mine."

Slowly, she leaned forward, and pressed a kiss to my right cheek. Her lips felt hot on my cheek, even after she leaned back and smiled at me.

Silently, I gaped at her, pressing a hand to the cheek she'd kissed - before I crossed my legs and turned around, putting my back towards my little sister. "A-ah! Kazuto!" Aiko whined. "You're not... You're supposed to be overwhelmed by my display of how much I love you!"

I mean, I kinda had been, but I wasn't going to tell _her_ that. I wasn't saying anything to her, because I couldn't trust my voice.

"Kazuto...! Y-You're not mad, right?"

The bed shifted as Aiko scrambled towards me, trying to figure out if I was mad at her.

Perfect.

"Aiko..." I said softly, turning around.

Aiko's eyes had been wet with worry, but they brightened as soon as I breathed her name. "Yes?" she said, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her neck.

I reached out and tugged my little sister into a light embrace. She giggled, melting against me -

\- until I leaned back and flicked her forehead lightly. She instantly popped away, rubbing at the spot I'd flicked. "Mou, Kazuto," she pouted. "That wasn't nice..."

I rolled my eyes. "You'll get over it," I said. "For now, let's just go back to reading, okay?"

"...Fine..."

After I got comfortable again, Aiko wriggled around until she could lay her head back in my lap. Almost without thinking, I started rubbing her back in small circles.

Like that, we passed the time, just the two of us. Sure, Aiko could come on a little too strong at times, and cross the line a little bit. But, really, I couldn't truthfully say I _disliked_ it...

* * *

'Hey'

'Kirito'

'I've got something I need to tell you. Are you in a Safe Zone?'

I stared at Argo's bizarre trio of messages in confusion. He wasn't acting like anything I'd seen before.

Leafa was the first to notice my distraction. "Kazuto? Something wrong?"

"No, don't think so," I said absently. Meanwhile, I replied to Argo, 'Not right now, but I can be soon. Something wrong?' "But we should head back to the nearest Safe Zone. Argo wants to talk, and I guess it might be a while."

"Okay," my sisters chorused. We were just exploring the Labyrinth to fight monsters and earn some money, after all; while it would be nice to find the Boss Door, it wasn't our main goal this trip.

'Just let me know when you're in the Safe.'

'*Safe Zone'

'This is important'

Narrowing my eyes, I studied the messages. Argo pretty much never made message errors like that... It only happened when he was so excited he fumbled on the keyboard, or when he was upset, and he wasn't sending messages quickly enough for this to be excitement. 'Are you okay?'

'I think so. I hope so.'

That didn't sound good, and I picked up my pace. As if they were picking up on my concern, my sisters fidgeted uneasily by my side as we walked through the empty corridors of the Labyrinth. Normally, I would love walking through the halls with my family; the multi-colored walls blended together and shifted as we walked in a way that made it seem like we were walking along the bottom of the sea. The aquatic features of the monsters just reinforced that theme.

When we finally reached the Safe Zone, my sisters went off to the side of the room to relax and gossip, while I took a seat on the block in the center of the room. It wasn't very comfortable, but it was good to be off my feet. 'Alright, Argo, I'm in a Safe Zone.'

'Okay.'

I waited patiently for the next message, but when it didn't arrive after I few minutes, I started to get worried. 'Argo?'

'i'm fiine'

'just trying to figure out how to say this.'

I stared at the message. What was he...

'there's no real good way to say this, Kirito'

'Your friends in that guild, the Black Cats'

'They'

'i'm sosorry'

A pause. It felt like it lasted a heartbeat and an eternity both.

'They died.'

I felt like someone had just punched me in the stomach.

I wanted to vomit.

At least I was sitting down when I got the news. The way I was reeling, I might have stumbled and fallen.

There was this incredibly loud ringing sound in my ears, and I looked around in confusion, not sure what was causing it. My sisters were sitting by the wall, Ran gently rubbing Yuuki's shoulders. Leafa looked over at me, then frowned. I watched as she said something that I couldn't hear over the ringing.

Frowning more, she stood up and approached me. "Kazuto?" she said, her voice echoing out to reach me like she was standing at the far end of a long tunnel. "You're scaring me." I couldn't see the twins. She'd blocked my view with her torso.

I slowly looked up at her, and she took a step forward. "Is... is everything okay with Argo?"

My jaw worked silently, and the first time I tried to speak my voice wouldn't come out. It was almost as if something was gripping my throat tightly, so tightly I could barely breathe, let alone speak. I swallowed, wincing at the rasp before trying again. "I... have to go," I said, the words forcing themselves out of my chest. They sounded tight and cramped. They'd had to squeeze past the lump in my throat.

"Wai-"

Leafa's voice was cut off as I used a Teleport Crystal to return to town. From there, I used the Gate to warp to Floor One.

As my vision cleared, I stumbled off of the platform in the Town of Beginnings. There might have been people there that day, in the plaza, but I couldn't see anything except the Black Iron Palace looming in front of me. It felt like it was mocking me with every hesitant step I took towards it.

 _That... It had to be a joke, right? The Moonlit Black Cats couldn't be_ dead, _right? H-Haha, Argo, that's not very funny... Hey, c-c'mon, tell me it was a joke._

The lump in my throat had plummeted to my stomach, making me feel ill. I stumbled inside the Black Iron Palace and the noise outside just cut off as the doors slammed shut behind me. My footsteps echoed in the empty chamber as I walked towards the monument at the end of the hall. It was definitely empty in here. Nobody wanted to come here.

When I finally reached the Monument of Life, the list of every player in the game living and dead, a violent shudder ran down my spine before I went to the far left and forced myself to start looking through the names.

Ducker. There were two lines through his name, and it was dark. I tapped it with a shaking hand, and a panel popped up. Cause of death: bludgeoning damage.

 _N-No way. They... they can't be dead. Sachi can't be dead. She's too careful, and too strong... isn't she?_

Keita. Cause of death: piercing damage.

I walked to the other side of the monument, staring ahead blankly and not seeing anything.

Tetsuo. Cause of death: bludgeoning damage.

Sasamaru. Cause of death: piercing damage.

With a trembling hand, I reached up to the last name. Sachi. There were two lines crossing it out.

 _Th... This can't be real, right? I'm just having a nightmare, right? Sachi was so careful about grinding… She said her friends meant a lot to her, so she needed to make sure they all survived..._

I tapped her name.

Cause of death: leaving the world boundary.

I don't remember when my legs gave out, but I must have fallen to my knees at some point, the Monument of Life looming over me. My jaw worked silently, but no words would come out.

Someone kneeled behind me. "I knew you'd be here," Leafa said gently, her arms closing around me. Her embrace was tight and comforting as she slowly turned me to face her until my back was to the Monument of Life. "Even without asking Argo, somehow... I knew."

I was staring at her chest blankly until I looked up. "L-Leafa..." I whispered hoarsely. "She's..."

"It'll be okay," Leafa murmured. "I'm here, Kazuto. I'm here and nobody else is. We're alone."

My thin frame shuddered. I tried desperately to hold back the tears. She was my _sister_ , I couldn't let her see me be a crybaby-

Leafa's hug tightened just a little bit more, gently guiding me to bury my face in her chest.

With that tiny bit more of warmth around me, I broke.

The next few... minutes? hours? were a blur of anguished sobbing and warm, soothing hands around me. I wasn't in any state to remember what happened, but I was saying something as I cried into my sister's chest.

When I finally cried myself out, I took a few shuddering breaths and lifted my head. "Are you feeling better?" Leafa asked me, looking at me with concern.

"I... Yeah, I think so," I said, wiping at my eyes. "I'm... sorry." She shouldn't have to see me like that.

Leafa just shook her head and leaned forward until our foreheads bumped together; her hands were warm on my cheeks, and I was forced to meet her eyes. I couldn't see any of the pity I'd expected. There was only love in her eyes. "There's nothing to apologize for, Kazuto," my sister said softly. "Whenever things get too hard, and you need to cry, I'll be there for you. I promise."

Silently, I reached out and gathered my little sister into a hug, holding her against me. "Thank you," I whispered to her.

She squeezed back lightly. "Hang in there, okay?"

Sugu's done so much for me... And while I still wish she wasn't in danger, hadn't been caught up in all of this, I'm glad she's here.

* * *

 **Ah… A shorter chapter, but it hits the notes that I want it to hit. I would have liked to get more, but at the same time I wanted a Sugu-centric chapter and this was the most important part recently.**

 **Also holy crap, I was apparently bloodthirsty these last few chapters. Klein and Fuurinkaazan in Chapter 6, Kibaou and most of the ALS in Chapter 7, and now the Black Cats… Oh well, suffering is good for the soul.**

 **First part of this chapter is Aiko being cute and cuddly. The joke about Kazuto dressing up as a girl is a running joke that shows up in my stories; usually when they're kids, Sugu (and the twins in this case) somehow manages to convince him to let her choose his appearance for a weekend, and he makes a very convincing big/twin sister to Sugu. Beyond that, Aiko is making a play and it worked a little bit. Kazuto just hasn't accepted that he's going to be dating his sisters, so he denies her for now.**

 **The second part was a little bit more brutal, since I apparently was in a bad mood when I sketched out this chapter. The Black Cats knew Kirito… so they were more aggressive this time! So they got in trouble… but Sachi survived! …only to jump off the side of Aincrad because the boy she had a crush on tacitly rejected her, and all of her friends were dead.**

 **This story is light and fluffy, guys! (aside from all the dark stuff going on in the background, like people dying or going insane, and suffering, and fighting for your life every day, and all that fun stuff.)**

 **Don't worry, though, Best Imouto Sugu is there to save the day and liberally apply SisterHugs. To write Argo's lines here, I just typed and then fixed about half of the typos I made.**

 **Thanks for reading, everyone. Hope you all enjoyed, even if this chapter was shorter than usual.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

I took another deep breath and gave the Floor 28 boss door one more studying look before turning back to my sisters. "Alright, is everyone ready?" I asked them.

"Yes, Kirito," Ran said.

"Yep!" Yuuki nodded, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. "I'm ready to fight!"

Leafa took a look at the door, her eyes focused, and then turned to me. "Ready," she said simply.

"Equipment repaired? You all have potions and crystals to escape in an emergency?"

A smile pulled at Ran's lips. "Honestly, Kirito, you worry so much about us. I guess it's nice..."

Yuuki grinned and gave me a thumbs up. "Yeah, Big Bro, we got this in the bag!"

I raised an eyebrow. "So what're your jobs?"

"You an' me are DPS one," Yuuki said immediately. "Leafa's in DPS group two with Miss Asuna and her group, and Ran is with the tanks. Sucks we have to be split up, though."

Well, she did seem to know what she was doing... It was just - I was responsible for them. I was the leader of the party, but more than that I was their big brother. If my sisters got hurt, it was on my shoulders. And the boss fights were _dangerous_. By being careful, the four of us could handle the regular enemies well enough, but one false move in the boss fights and people could die.

It happened all the time. Even the good guilds lost people. We just had to look at the catastrophe of Floor 25 for a perfect example of what could happen if we got unlucky.

I didn't want that to happen to my sisters. I loved them too much.

"Kazuto?"

"What is it, Leafa?" I asked, trying to hide my doubts.

"We'll be fine," she said. "You didn't train weaklings, right?"

"...Right," I said. "A forfeit for the first person to get hit, then, since you seem to want that."

Ran smirked. "And what would happen if one of us lost? Would you… punish us? Your dear sisters?"

Yuuki tilted her head thoughtfully. "Hm... It could be fun if Big Bro decided to -"

"Yuuki, no," I sighed, introducing my palm to my face. They were well acquainted.

Ran leaned over to the younger twin. "It defeats the purpose of punishment if you enjoy it, Yuu," she reminded Yuuki.

"But I enjoy doing _everything_ with Big Bro."

"Yuuki _noooo,_ " I groaned.

"Hm, I haven't thought about that," Ran mused. "How about it, Big Bro?" she asked, teasingly using Yuuki's name for me. "Do you think you could handle disciplining us? If we were naughty, would you bend us over your knee and smack our bottoms?"

 _This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this is not a thing we are discussing right now in public._

I heard people whispering about 'that guy with the sisters' and groaned even harder. Argo was going to have a field day with this later, wasn't he?

When it was time to go fight the boss, I was almost glad.

...Come to think of it, the girls weren't normally this bad. Were... Were they acting up on purpose, to keep me distracted?

As we turned to walk through the door, I felt someone catch the sleeve of my coat. "Yeah?" I asked, turning to see Leafa holding on to my upper arm, looking down and fidgeting. Her cheeks were red. "Leafa?"

"I, um..." Her blush intensified, spreading down her neck and up to her forehead. "...Can I have a kiss for good luck?"

"What?" I asked, blinking in shock.

"Whaa?!" Yuuki gasped, staring at her bold older sister in awe. "No fair! You beat me to it!" Meanwhile, Ran was staring wide-eyed at the oldest of my younger sisters.

Leafa shifted nervously. "I-I mean it's just a kiss, and we're about to fight a boss, and..." she babbled.

"Leafa, Leafa, calm down," I said. "I... It's a little embarrassing when you just ask me like that, though, you know?"

"Mhm..."

"I..." I paused, noticing that Yuuki and Ran's eyes were locked onto me hungrily as I tried to work this out. "Okay, close your eyes."

Immediately Yuuki and Ran squealed in high-pitched joy, catching the attention of several other members of the raid party. Leafa's blush went absolutely luminescent, but she closed her eyes like I'd asked. Taking a deep breath and licking my lips, I leaned forward -

\- and pressed my lips against her forehead in a _very brotherly_ kiss. Totally platonic. "Good luck," I whispered.

"Awww," Yuuki and Ran chorused, sounding incredibly disappointed.

Leafa didn't seem to mind all that much, judging by the wide smile that refused to go away.

I turned back around, my face burning, and I caught Asuna watching me. I started to say something, and she turned her back on me, her cheeks red enough to match her new equipment, the red and white uniform marking her as a member of the newest guild, the Knights of the Blood.

Asuna, no, don't forsake me, you're the only other sane one left...

* * *

"Hi, Asuna," I said, taking a seat across from the chestnut-haired girl. "Sorry I'm late."

Asuna just smiled at me. "It's okay, Kirito. I just got here myself."

We were meeting up for our once-a-week break. Asuna was the one who suggested meeting for tea once a week, and after I brought it up with my sisters they had been supportive - though Sugu seemed a little reluctant at first. It had been weird at first, since I was wasting a day I could be using to get stronger, so that I never had to lose anyone again like Sa-... But now it was just part of my routine to get tea with Asuna on Sunday afternoons. She liked trying out different shops, so we usually met up in a different location each time.

Like always, we started off with small talk about how each other's week had been, and if she'd found any interesting quests, or if I'd run into any new monsters on the latest floor.

Inevitably, though, the topic drifted and I ended up complaining to Asuna. "I just..." I sighed explosively, staring down at the cup of tea keeping my hands warm. "Sometimes they just infuriate me, and then other times I couldn't imagine living without them."

"Mm."

"Does that make sense?"

Asuna sipped at her own cup of tea and placed it back on its saucer with a tiny _clink_. "They're family, Kirito," she said, shaking her head. "Of course you l- care about them. I'm like that with my own brother, you know."

"Ugh..." I sighed again, leaning back in my chair and staring at the ceiling. "I thought things were bad back in RL, but somehow they just got worse in the game."

Asuna just sipped at her tea again.

"I mean," I continued, "back before we got stuck in SAO, they'd at least _pretend_ everything was accidental. Now, they're being downright obvious about it. How else can I explain them just walking out of the bathroom with only a towel for modesty?" Asuna coughed, spluttering mid-sip, and I peered at her carefully. When it looked like she wasn't choking, I asked, "You okay?"

"Y-Yes, I'm fine. I just... wasn't expecting that."

I rolled my eyes. "Neither was I, when it started happening. At least they know when to drop it and focus. I don't have to worry about that, at least. I know I can fight with them at my back."

"Oh?" Asuna raised an eyebrow as she brought her teacup back to her lips. "And that's what you like? Not having to protect a damsel in distress?"

"...Yeah?" I said. "Escort missions suck. It's so much safer if there's two fighters instead of one fighter and a noncombatant."

"...Oh," Asuna said, and she seemed almost upset for a second. But that would be silly. Surely she's had to suffer through escort missions; there were a few in SAO, even. "I see."

I nodded.

"I leveled up recently," she said suddenly, glancing at her cup.

"Congratulations." I didn't even have to force the smile, it was always nice to hear my friend doing well. It'd been the same when she told me she'd been approached by Heathcliff, the player leading the Knights of the Blood guild.

"Thank you," she said with a small smile. "I'm closing in on level 40," she continued. "Do you know of any good spots for me to grind?"

For a second I hesitated, suspicious from years of dealing with my sisters, and then decided it was just unfortunate phrasing. "Ah... There's a good dungeon on Floor 22 with a repeatable quest nearby," I said. "My sisters and I haven't used it since we hit level 45, but it was really useful when we were in the lower 40s. You can get four or five runs a day without breaking a sweat."

"...I see," Asuna nodded. "That... sounds good, yes. Thank you, I'll keep that in mind."

If Asuna keeps clutching at her cup like that, she'll break it. Huh. I wonder what irritated her all of the sudden?

"I couldn't help but notice," I said suddenly, eyeing her waist. "You were using a new rapier in the last boss fight, right? You were moving a lot faster than before."

"You _did_ notice!" Asuna said happily, brightening up. "I'm glad. Yeah, I have a blacksmith friend, and she's the best. She made the rapier for me, it's called Ember Needle. If you'd like," she said hesitantly, "I could take you to meet her? Liz doesn't do a lot of requests, but if I take you to her shop and introduce you she'd probably say yes."

I grinned. "That'd be really helpful, actually," I said. "I've been looking for a good blacksmith." Yuuki and Aiko's birthday was coming up soon, and while I'd already picked out Aiko's present - a nice wood-handled hairbrush I'd seen her eyeing every time we stopped by the market in the main town of Floor 26 - I was still coming up empty for Yuuki. A really good sword would be _perfect_.

Asuna smiled at me. "Great! Then, we can meet up tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan," I said.

We chatted for a little bit longer, but eventually we finished off the teapot and it was time to leave. I sighed and pushed my chair back. "Sorry, Asuna," I said, scratching my cheek. "I ended up complaining to you the whole time, like always." She was so busy as sub-commander of Knight of the Blood that I felt bad taking up her time just to complain.

She smiled reassuringly. "It's fine, Kirito, I don't mind. Be safe, and tell Yuuki and your sisters I said hello, okay?"

"Sure. See you tomorrow."

It was nice having someone to talk to. Sure, I talked with Argo a lot over the voice chat feature, but there was something different about sitting face to face with another person. Argo tried to find the time, he really did, but he was just always so busy trying to keep up with the new information flooding in from the Clearers we never managed to meet up.

...

"Hey, Asuna!" I called out.

The teenage girl turned at my voice and waved to me as I approached her. "Kirito!" Her smile shifted slightly. "And... I see you brought your sisters," she said, her voice sounding a little tight.

I grinned ruefully and rubbed the back of my head. "Sorry," I said. "I mentioned I was going with you today, and they really wanted to come along."

"Why doesn't that surprise me," Asuna sighed. I frowned. Was she upset? We were just going to visit a blacksmith... "Oh, it's fine. I really should have expected this, all things considered."

Yuuki ran over and gave Asuna a big hug. I smiled at Asuna's briefly surprised face before the girl smiled and hugged my little sister back. "Are those new earrings?" Yuuki asked. "They look really pretty!"

I looked closer and sure enough, Asuna was wearing new earrings; they were gold teardrop-shaped, with a small blue gem inside the gold setting. Asuna smiled at Yuuki. "Yeah. I'm glad you like them, Yuuki."

After the girls gossiped for a little bit while I waited patiently, Asuna led us to the blacksmith she'd told me about yesterday. For some reason, Leafa and Ran stuck close by my side the whole time we were walking. I don't think Yuuki noticed because she was so enthralled in talking with Asuna. The two of them had just clicked at some point, and they were getting to be good friends.

Asuna took us to Floor 26 and stopped in front of a girl sitting cross-legged on a Vendor's Carpet. She was wearing a yellow tunic with a brown apron tied around her neck to give off the 'Blacksmith' aura, helped by the thick leather gloves she was wearing and the hammer and anvil sitting in front of her. Behind her, a sign read 'Lisbeth's Smith Shop'. "Asuna?" the brown-haired girl asked, looking up at our guide with surprise. "What're you doing here? Something wrong with the rapier?"

"No, Liz," Asuna said with a giggle. "The rapier's fine. I just wanted to introduce you to a few of my friends." Standing back, she swept an arm out towards us. "This is Kirito, and his sisters Leafa, Ran, and Yuuki."

"Hi!" Yuuki chirped, while the rest of us waved.

"Everyone, this is Liz," Asuna said. "She's the one who made my new rapier."

The now-named Liz swept her eyes up and down my form. "Man, I could use a friend like that," she said, giving Asuna a sly grin. The grin drew attention to the dusting of freckles on her cheeks.

Asuna blushed. My sisters exchanged glances and then pressed closer to me. "Liz!" the rapier-wielder protested. "I keep telling you, it's not like that!"

"If you say so," Liz said with a smirk. "Anyway, welcome to Lisbeth's Smith Shop!" she said brightly, turning to me and my sisters.

I glanced at Yuuki, but my little sister didn't notice. "Do you have any swords I could look at?" I asked her.

"Sure," she said with a shrug. "I've made a bunch, so feel free!"

While I examined the swords she showed me, Leafa looked over my shoulder, pressing a bit closer to my back than she really had to. "Oh!" she said suddenly, pointing to one of the longer swords. "That one looks like the shinai I have back home! Isn't that neat, Kazuto?" _Coincidentally_ , her soft chest pressed against my back with the movement of her hand.

"You're into kendo?" Liz asked suddenly, staring intently at Leafa.

Leafa smiled at the blacksmith. "I am," she said. "I'm in the kendo club at my school, and I compete -"

"That's where I know you from!"

Leafa blinked at Liz's outburst. "Um... Excuse me…?"

Liz leaned forward, staring at Leafa. "Yeah! You were the... quarter-finalist, right? In the national championship! You were so cool!"

"Woah," Yuuki murmured to Ran. "Big Sis has a fan!"

"Better her than Kirito," Ran murmured back.

Leafa seemed surprised by Liz's sudden interest, but was soon chatting away with the brown-haired girl merrily, delving deep into discussions on kendo techniques and swordplay in general. Apparently, from the little bits I overheard when I wasn't concentrating, Liz didn't practice kendo herself, but she was incredibly interested in how swords were _made_ , to the point that she'd read a lot of books about blacksmithing and things like that.

To each their own, I guess. Leafa was having fun, so I was happy for her. Yuuki and Asuna were busy in their own conversation, my little sister waving her arms wildly as she told some story, and Ran had asked for and was busy poring over Liz's collection of spears and polearms.

In the end, none of the swords were what I was looking for in terms of Yuuki's gift - they were all too thin, even considering Yuuki's preference for a lighter blade. They would have shattered after a few good blows. I'd just have to come back tomorrow without Yuuki and ask Liz to make a custom sword for me.

"Alright," I said, standing up. "Girls? Ready to go?"

"Okay, Big Bro!" Yuuki said, bouncing over to stand next to me. Leafa and Liz were wrapping up a conversation about the grip of her katana, of all things, and Ran...

"Ran? Ran... Hello~," I said, trying to catch the attention of the older twin. She just ignored me, too engrossed in comparing two weapons.

Well, the fastest way to solve most problems was to just swing a sword at it, so I took the direct method of getting Ran's attention. I placed my index finger at the top of her neck, and then lightly traced down to where her shirt started.

Ran jumped upright with a startled, "Eep!" Heh. She was just as ticklish as Yuuki, even if she tried to deny it. "K-Kirito! That was mean!"

"I called your name, but you didn't hear me," I said with a shrug. "It's time to go."

The older twin coughed and brushed at her skirt, trying to pretend she hadn't been flustered by my abuse of her weak point. "Alright, Kirito."

When we got back to the inn, I remarked, "You seemed to have fun talking with Liz, Sugu. Made a new friend?"

Sugu giggled. "Yeah! She really knows a lot about swords, it's kinda cool."

I smiled. "I'm glad."

My sisters really didn't have many friends, I was pretty sure. They never really brought any friends home, for one, and they just didn't seem to _need_ friends. Yuuki and Aiko had each other, and with how close they were they tended not to open up to anyone other than me; and Sugu was always busy with kendo. She'd made a few friends in her kendo dojo, and at school, but nobody she really seemed all that close with.

Of course, I didn't know any of this for certain, but back IRL my sisters spent most of their time at home with me. It wasn't hard to figure out that they didn't really have any social life to speak of.

"Don't worry, Kazuto," Aiko said, running a finger along my arm as she curled against my chest. "We still want you the most. Right, you two?"

"Yeah!" Yuuki said, cuddling against me next to Aiko. "Big Bro's the best!"

Sugu hummed in agreement, draping herself over my back. "Aiko's right."

I sighed. "That's nice, and you're all very comfy, but could you three get off?"

"Right here? All of us at once?" Aiko gasped. "Don't you think you're moving a little fast, Kazuto?"

What is she - oh! "Not that!" I yelped, ears burning. "Get off me!"

...

The next day, I came back to Liz's carpet. "Welcome to - oh, hi," Liz said, giving me a little wave with a grin. "You're back! Is Leafa with you?" When she asked about my sister, her cheeks went a little red.

Did... No, I must be imagining things. "Sorry I didn't mention this yesterday," I said after sitting down in front of her, "but I kinda need your help."

"Oh yeah?"

I nodded. "It's gonna be Yuuki - the short haired twin? - it's gonna be Yuuki's birthday soon, and I wanted to get her a new sword since her old one is starting to get a little outdated. Do you do custom orders?"

Liz shifted her weight and leaned forward. "I do," she said, suddenly all business. "It'll cost ya, though, and you need to collect the metal for me. So, what kinda sword are you looking for?"

I swiped my menu open. "Yuuki prefers thinner, lighter swords," I said. "Something like what you had for sale, only a little bit heavier and sturdier."

The blacksmith hummed in thought, putting a hand to her chin. "Well... If we're looking for something like that... I think if you could get your hands on some Meteoric Ore I should be able to make what you're looking for. I think some of my customers say you can find it-"

"Is this enough?" I interrupted her, pulling out a full stack of Meteoric Ore and handing it to her. The Starry Tortoise from Floor 27 dropped the ore pretty frequently, so I'd been treating it mainly as vendor trash.

Liz stared at the ore I handed her, and then sighed before looking up at me with dull eyes. "You're a weirdo," she said bluntly.

"Hey..."

"I mean, who just carries around stuff like that? Jeez." Shaking her head, Liz took the ore and placed it on her anvil before starting to hit it with her hammer. The metal started glowing brighter with every strike, before it warped and morphed into the shape of a sword.

* * *

"Happy birthday!" Sugu and I chorused.

"I know things have been a little hectic recently," I continued, "but we still wanted to celebrate your birthday, girls."

"Yay!" Yuuki exclaimed, throwing her arms around my neck. Our cheeks ended up rubbing together as she laughed. "I love you, Big Bro! And Big Sis! I love both of you!"

Aiko was sharing a gentle hug with Sugu, since Yuuki had claimed my arms. "Maybe you should wait until you see your gifts," Sugu said with a giggle.

Immediately, the twins let go of us and sat back on the bed, eyes sparkling with anticipation. I laughed a little bit at how eager they were, before leaning back as Sugu swiped open her menu and pulled out two packages.

She'd chosen some silver earrings for Aiko - they looked cute on her, and apparently had a nice +3 to Defense, which would help the older twin tank - and a ring for Yuuki that looked like a series of leafs linked together, with a small red gem set in the center. The twins didn't hesitate to put on their new gifts, in Aiko's case replacing her old stud earrings with the new dangling pair. They looked good - they definitely gave her a +5 to her Personal Charm stat.

"My turn," I said after they finished thanking Sugu, and the two heads snapped to me quickly as I swiped open my menu and pulled out two presents. "Aiko, this is yours," I said, handing the long-haired girl the box wrapped in purple paper, with a white lace ribbon. "And Yuuki, this one's for you." I'd done the same for Yuuki, with a purple box and a red ribbon.

"Thank you!" the twins chorused, before tugging at the ribbons and opening up their presents.

Aiko cooed over the hairbrush. "Ah! I'd been wanting this ever since I saw it!" she gasped, cradling it in her hands. "Thank you, Kazuto!"

"Woah!" Yuuki exclaimed as she hefted her new sword. "It's amazing!"

I grinned. "I got it forged specifically for you, Yuuki," I told her. "It should be good until about Floor 50, with the stats it has. If we get lucky with the upgrades, you might even be able to use it until Floor 60."

The sword was called Nebula Cutter, and it was the thinner, slender type of blade that Yuuki loved using. The hilt was made of a shining dark metal, and the blade itself looked almost like it was made of rock; as Yuuki turned and twisted the blade, grinning widely, the light of the inn lamps reflected off of the blade, making it look like stars were trapped inside.

"I love it!" Yuuki said. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

I smiled at the twins' excitement, which was why it completely caught me off guard when they approached me and simultaneously pressed their lips to my cheek, Aiko on my right and Yuuki on my left.

"Thank you for the wonderful presents," Aiko said to me as I stared at them. "We'll treasure them."

"I... I... Um..."

Yuuki looked at me with a slightly upset expression. "Uh oh, I think we broke Big Bro by accident..."

* * *

 **Honestly, half of my planning for this story is 'What really bad situation can I put Kazuto in this time?'**

 **First up, a boss fight! This is just some random scene that my brain decided was going to happen. Fun fact! Originally, this was supposed to be the first part of chapter 6, at the very beginning of Arc 2; but then I sat back and said, 'huh, I think Kazuto might be moving a bit fast there' and decided to push it back a bit. I think it might be a little better this way. Regardless of when it happened, Kazuto did a** _ **very brotherly thing**_ **, he swears. Aiko and Yuuki are also super on board with this new plot development.**

 **Second was the introduction of our favorite blacksmith. Liz probably won't be a major player in this story; she's here mainly because I needed her for reasons that will become a little clearer in the next chapter. Also because I like Liz.**

 **Yes, Asuna is meeting up with Kazuto once a week for a totally-not-a-date over tea. He usually uses this opportunity to complain about his sisters. Fortunately, Asuna doesn't seem to mind listening to him all that much. Hmm… I wonder why? …:3**

 **And I had to move the times and dates around a bit, since for some reason I originally thought the twins were born in the fall. But nope, their birthday is in May, so whoops! I checked up on the source material, but Yuuki doesn't ever get a weapon name, so I came up with one at mostly random. Hopefully it wasn't too terrible. And don't worry, this isn't the final upgrade she'll get.**

 **Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.**

 **(these sisters will be the death of kazuto sooner or later) (probably sooner at this rate)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

"Um... Kazuto," Leafa said hesitantly, "are you... sure this is the quest start location?"

I double-checked my map, and then nodded. "Yeah, it's this forest," I said.

Ran frowned, her eyes scanning the forest surrounding us while Yuuki twisted and turned, using her whole body to look. "But, where's the trigger?" she asked, her confused voice echoing through the calm and peaceful trees. "We've been looking for a while. It's almost dark!"

I frowned, scratching at my head as we followed the dirt path through the forest. "Huh... Well, if it comes down to it, we can always search again tomorrow and start earlier," I offered. "It's not like we really have to be anywhere tomorrow..."

We really weren't on any sort of schedule or anything. The frenzy of boss clearing had slowed down a little bit since June, and the four of us had some of the highest levels among the Clearers, so we could spend time tracking down weird quests like this one.

We were down on one of the lower floors, Floor 23, in search of a rumor I'd heard being repeated around the main towns. Players weren't sure whether it was some super mob that spawned at the end of the quest, a trap in the forest itself, or even some sort of ghost, but whatever it was, it was dangerous. People had been disappearing; they'd head off into the forest, and then just never return, before their name would quietly be crossed off of the Monument of Life a few hours or days later.

Some of them were _way_ overleveled for this floor, too, so I had no idea what could be causing it. When the Clearers had been through, there wasn't anything dangerous _then_... Argo contacted me and let me know about the quest that was supposed to be found in the forest, so my sisters and I came down to explore.

The only problem was, we'd been searching the forest all day and we still hadn't found the quest spawn point.

"At least the forest is empty," Ran said.

Yuuki sighed. "I _know_ , it sucks," she moaned. "I can't even fight..."

I think the twins have different priorities...

"We should give up for today," I said finally after we spent another fifteen minutes combing the woods. "It's almost too dark to see."

"Okay~," my sisters chorused.

One of us, though, must have been putting skill points into the LUK stat without my knowledge, because as we started retracing our steps I stopped. Yuuki bumped into my back and made a cute little noise of complaint. "Big Bro..."

"Uh..." Ran peeked around my shoulder, and then said, "Oh! There it is!"

She was looking at the same thing that made me stop in my tracks; a piece of paper was pinned up against the tree, a golden question mark hovering over it to signal the start of the quest. It just looked... really familiar...

As the twins ran forward to the tree, I looked around nervously, my hand drifting towards my sword handle. It was reassuringly still over my shoulder. The forest surrounding us, though, was starting to seem ominous and even darker than before.

Leafa paused on her way to the tree, peering at me. "Kazuto? Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I..." I said slowly. "I hope not." It's just a coincidence... right?

Yuuki ripped the paper off of the tree as Leafa and I approached the twins, and she read it before her face scrunched up with confusion. "Always watches... no eyes?" she said, reading off of the paper. "And... what's up with this weird circle? There's a cross through it."

"No, no, no, no, no..." I started muttering, turning and looking at the trees around us.

"...What the hell?" Leafa said, staring at the paper in Yuuki's hand. "What kind of quest is this?"

"...Oh, there's a quest update..." Ran murmured. "'Find all 8 pages'? At least we have a clear goal. What's the quest rewa-"

"Ah!" Yuuki exclaimed. "They gave me a torch!"

"I get it," Leafa said, clapping her fist in her palm. "It must only spawn right before it gets dark! That makes sense why we couldn't find it earlier, right, Kirito?" she asked. "...Kirito? Is… something wrong?"

I sighed and turned to face them. "Hey, remember... not last August, but the one before that, when you came into my room and watched me play that one horror game?" I asked Leafa. "And how you got so scared you carried your lion stuffed animal around all day after that?"

Leafa tilted her head. "...Yeah, I think so," she said. "But what does that have to... do with..."

Her face paled as the implications sunk in. Her jaw moved, but she couldn't form words.

"Do you think they sell plushies in town, or will we have to get one custom ordered?" I asked helplessly. We just... We just had to run around, get the pages, and then get _out_. Then we'd be safe. "Yuuki, light the torch, okay?"

"Okay, Big Bro!" she chirped, setting the torch aflame. It cast a small circle of light around us, barely managing to illuminate the oppressive darkness.

Oh, we're _so_ screwed...

...

The four of us - terrified and exhausted but alive, and with a... bizarre reward sitting in my inventory - stumbled back into town silently. We went back to our room without saying a word, and then just stood around in a loose circle with the lights on, staring at each other.

I was pretty sure I knew what all of us wanted to ask, but I didn't want to be the one to offer. Besides, I think I was still too busy dealing with my trauma to say anything.

"Um..." Yuuki said, her voice a little hoarse from the screaming and shouting earlier. "B-Big Bro? Can we sleep in your bed toni-"

" _Yes_ ," I said instantly and with relief in my voice.

Aiko whispered, "Thank you..." as she stared off into the distance. I'd had to lead her by the hand to keep her stumbling after us. If I didn't, she would have just been frozen in that forest by fear.

Sugu just let out a little whimper, her death grip on my left arm never wavering.

...At least we could tell Argo the cause of the mysterious disappearances. That was a bonus, I think. Maybe.

All I know is, I'm not _ever_ going near that forest _ever again_. I'm going to have nightmares for _weeks_.

...

The next morning, I woke up feeling more relaxed than ever before. My pillow was softer than I was used to, in the inns. It was warm, too… I blinked blearily, confused by my pillow rising and falling gently and regularly, until my brain finally woke up.

Gah! I was sleeping on Sugu's b..b… on Sugu!

Hesitantly, I glanced to my right. Yuuki was curled up against me, hands lightly tugging on the shirt I slept in. Aiko wasn't anywhere to be seen, and I was very briefly confused until I realized my waist felt heavier than usual; when I peeked under the covers, Aiko was splayed out across my chest, her hair draping across both of us. Her head was resting on Sugu's side, while her legs were tangled up with Yuuki's.

Part of me just wanted to bask in this glorious warmth, but the larger part of me knew that I really had to get up before Aiko or bad things would inevitably happen. Hah... The price I pay...

* * *

"Hey, Big Bro?"

I swiped through my menu to check out the drops from the latest group of enemies. Meanwhile, off to the side, Ran and Leafa were tag-teaming another Saber Tiger, the most common enemy on the front lines of Floor 45. They were tiger-headed mobs that wore ratty leather armor and carried around curved swords; they weren't that much of a threat individually, but their Pack Call Skill could attract other Saber Tigers in the area.

"What's up, Yuuki?" I asked, counting the number of Tiger Tusks we'd collected. Huh... Only one more...

Yuuki tilted her head as she stared at her menu. "...This skill says I can use two swords. Is that weird?"

I stared at Yuuki, jaw dropped slightly and my finger frozen in midair mid-press.

A little notification rang as Ran and Leafa killed the mob they were fighting. Oh, hey, it dropped the last Tiger Tusk... Neat...

"Wait, sorry," I said. "I must have misheard you... Two swords?"

"Uh huh," Yuuki nodded. "See, look..." She swiped her menu over to me. I peered at it.

Dual Blades. 'A skill that allows one to attack using two swords simultaneously.' I glanced over the rest of the bonuses, and they were all geared towards attacking.

...Sure enough, this looked like something that would let Yuuki wield two swords at once. It probably even unlocked some new Sword Skills.

...But that didn't make _sense_!

My gamer's soul cried out in agony at the sheer unfairness of this Skill. I had no idea how Yuuki even unlocked the Skill in the first place! It couldn't be stats, since I was a higher level than my little sister, and we'd all done the same quests at the same time so it couldn't be a quest reward or anything like that.

That wasn't my only complaint. In the first place, what was the rationale behind giving something like two swords? It was as random as, uh... letting Leafa fly, or something equally crazy. And second, why only Yuuki? Why not the rest of us, too?

For an instant I was almost jealous of my little sister - until I saw her smiling up at me, proud of unlocking a new skill. I immediately felt ashamed of myself. "Well, it looks real," I said finally. "Do you have any idea how you unlocked it?"

"Nope," she said cheerfully. "Weird, huh?"

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "What'd Yuu do now?" Ran asked. It says something about my family that she immediately knew Yuuki had said or done something, just from watching me as she walked up to us.

"It's..." I just sighed again. "Go ahead and show them, Yuuki."

"Okay!"

After the other two were caught up on this sudden development, Ran folded her arms. "Trust you to come up with something troublesome, Yuu," she sighed.

"Hey!" Yuuki frowned. "Siiiiis... Don't make fun of meeee..."

Leafa giggled. "Always the troublemaker, Yuuki."

"Big Siiiiis..." she wailed.

I tried grilling Yuuki for a little bit longer, but she couldn't remember anything that might have triggered the unlock requirements for the skill. And I knew for a fact it wouldn't show up on any of the info brokers' Skill lists either, since I wouldn't have missed something like this showing up. In the end, I just sighed. "I'm not going to say not to use it, Yuuki," I told her, "but... maybe we should keep this secret for a while, okay?"

"Huh?" Yuuki asked, tilting her head. "Why?"

Ran frowned. "...Because you're worried the other Clearers will get jealous, right?"

Leafa blinked. "Why would they be jealous?"

I nodded at Ran. "You wouldn't realize it right away because you didn't play games before," I told Leafa, "but it's really easy for us gamers to get mad when someone shows up with a rare skill that they can't or won't share. And, with my reputation..."

"...They'll just assume it's something he won't share because he's a Beater, or maybe he hacked the game, that sort of thing," Ran continued. See, I knew she'd figured it out. I smiled at her, and she preened.

"That's kinda stupid," Leafa muttered. "It's not even his skill in the first place."

I sighed. "Yeah, I know, but it is what it is. Not much we can do about it."

Yuuki kicked at the ground. "Aw... and I really wanted to show off at the next boss fight," she muttered. "Everybody would have been super impressed..."

Laughing helplessly, I patted my younger sister on the head. "It's okay, Yuuki," I said. " _We'll_ be super impressed for them, okay?"

Yuuki brightened up immediately. "Yeah, Big Bro! You'd better be impressed!"

Ran giggled. "He just said he would be, Yuu." After Yuuki stuck her tongue out and bonked her head sheepishly, she shook her head. "Only you... Well, are you going to show us?"

"Yeah!"

Yuuki was deadly enough with just one blade; with a second sword in her off-hand, she was tearing her way through the enemies almost effortlessly. Being able to use a second sword was a huge increase in the DPS she could unleash, and the passive buffs from the skill itself just pushed the user towards fighting aggressively, especially with the Sword Skill cooldown time decrease.

"Did you see, Big Bro?" she asked, bouncing up and down excitedly as she beamed at me. I swear I could see sparkles in her eyes. "Did you?"

"I did," I said weakly. Yuuki had managed to slide between two Bear Berserkers at the same time, passing through the legs of the closer one, but her blades flashed out as my little sister spun and rose from the slide. The Berserkers didn't even have the chance to do more than roar uselessly, their huge wooden clubs dropping from their hands as her blades cut the mobs in half.

Talk about risky. If she'd screwed up, she would have been frozen between them, unable to move... Well, that's why we were there with her as she practiced.

"I did notice something, though," I said as she ran up to us. "You weren't using your second sword much, were you?"

"Nope," Yuuki sighed, scowling at the plain metal sword in her hand like it'd personally offended her. "It's just not as good as the one you got for me, y'know? I know I get the bonuses, but it just doesn't do enough damage!"

I scratched my cheek. "Well... There's really not much we can do about that right now. Anyway, the boss fight should be coming up soon, so hang in there until we can get to the new floor, okay?"

Yuuki gave the sword one last frown, before smiling up at me. "Sure thing, Big Bro!"

...

It was a few months later that we finally got the chance to get Yuuki a second sword, one that could match her Nebula Cutter. I really wanted to get a better sword right away, but the Clearers went into overdrive as we reached the half-way point of the game; every week or two, we'd be clearing the next floor. We had to focus on raising our levels so that we wouldn't be in danger during the boss fights.

Finally, in early March, a particularly difficult Floor Boss meant that the Floor clearing was stalled for a few weeks, which gave us the perfect opportunity. "So this is Liz's new shop," I said thoughtfully as Yuuki and I looked up at the cozy-looking cottage. It sat on the edge of a river, with a small waterwheel in the back spinning lazily in the water. All in all, it looked nice.

"Let's go let's go let's go," Yuuki said, tugging on my hand. I laughed quietly and let her tug me forward.

As Yuuki pushed the door open, a bell rang. I looked around Liz's shop as we entered. The inside was like a trade fair of weapons, with swords, spears, daggers, and more decorating the walls. There were a few glass cases in the room, letting us see some more weapons in there. I looked at the counter, but Liz wasn't there. Must be in the back room.

The door to the back room opened, and Liz stepped out. "Welcome to Lisbeth's Smith oh it's you," she said, her practiced 'Welcoming customers' smile vanishing immediately. "Is Leafa with you?" she asked eagerly.

"No, it's just us," I said.

"Hi, Liz!" Yuuki chirped, waving with her free hand.

Liz sighed, some of her excitement draining out. "Well, I guess _you're_ not a bad replacement," she said, winking at me. "What do you think of my new uniform? C'mon, be honest..."

I looked at Liz, taking in her new outfit. Instead of the brown leather apron she'd been wearing the first time we met her, when she was squatting on a Vendor's Carpet. "It's very... pink," I said, looking at her strange waitress-like uniform. "It doesn't exactly make you look like a blacksmith, though. I feel like you're supposed to be serving me a drink or something."

"Hey," Liz said flatly.

"No, it looks good," I said. She smiled, her cheeks going a little red. Yuuki glanced up at me. "Just... not what I imagined a blacksmith to look like."

Liz tugged at her skirt, and shifted. "It wasn't my idea," she said a little sullenly. "Asuna's the one who made me wear it. She said I'd attract more customers like this."

"Big Bro..." Yuuki murmured, lightly squeezing my hand.

"Sorry, I got distracted," I said to her. "Liz," I continued, "we're looking for another custom sword."

Liz grinned, planting her hands on her hips. "Then you've come to the right place!" she said firmly. "What's wrong, the other one getting outclassed?"

"Something like that," I said awkwardly, scratching my cheek. "It's more that we need another sword that'll hold up. It's nice to have a second weapon just in case, y'know?"

"Yeah, I gotcha," Liz said. "Leafa says stuff like that all the time. Dunno why she thinks so highly of you, though, Kirito."

"Because Big Bro is the coolest!" Yuuki said instantly and without the slightest hesitation, a wide smile on her face.

Liz grinned. "If you say so. Who knows, maybe I agree with you~," she said.

"Can... Can we just make the sword, please?"

Liz sighed. "Take the fun out of it, why don't you... Anyway, I'd love to make a sword for you, but I'm kiiiinda running low on good metal." She gestured over her shoulder with a thumb, and I realized she was pointing at a new sword. It looked very slender, and almost brittle. "I made Asuna a new rapier recently, and after making my masterpiece there, I don't have the Speed-type metal that works best for Yuuki's swords."

Grinning, I said, "I knew you couldn't handle me. You and your big mouth, huh?" Yuuki giggled, but Liz just started blushing as her eyes went distant. Weird. I scratched my cheek and coughed, snapping her out of whatever daydream she'd been having. "Um... Is there any way for us to get you more? I have some metal in my inventory, I think..."

Liz shook her head. "Nah, if I'm doing this I'm doing it _right_. I take pride in my work as a blacksmith. But you're in luck..."

She told us all about the rumor of a special metal ingot that could be found on a mountain on the 55th Floor. When Yuuki and I exchanged a glance and said we could handle it - we were both just over level 70, more than high enough for a quest on Floor 55 - Liz shook her head and insisted that she had to come with us or the metal wouldn't spawn. I tried to talk her out of it, but she was as determined and fired up as ever, so in the end she tagged along with us.

We almost got in a lot of trouble when a dragon at the top of the mountain attacked and knocked us into a crystal trap pit, but it was okay; we survived the fall and spent the night in the pit, but we escaped the next morning by pulling off an insane stunt and _riding_ the dragon up. I had to carry Liz on my shoulder while Yuuki clung to my back like a monkey, her arms firmly around my neck and her legs around my waist, but we made it out. And as a bonus, we even got the metal ingot! ...Though, it turned out to be dragon poop.

It was kinda adorable, watching Yuuki scrunch her nose up as she tried to figure out if she _really_ wanted this new sword to be made out of dragon poop, even if it was going to be one of the strongest swords she had.

The instant I walked into the inn room my sisters and I were staying in, I was tackle-hugged by my other two sisters onto the bed. "Kazuto!" Sugu wailed, burying her face in my shirt. "I was so worried!"

Aiko wasn't much better. "Where _were_ you two?!" she gasped, clutching my arm tightly. It felt like I was going to have an Aiko-shaped accessory for the rest of the day, with how tight she was holding me. "When you didn't come home last night... I didn't..."

"It's okay," I said, patting Aiko's head while letting Sugu cling to me. Behind me, Yuuki giggled before flopping down and joining the hug pile. "Sorry to worry you. A quest ran long, so Yuuki and I had to spend the night in a dungeon."

"It was a lot of fun, sleeping with Big Bro!" Yuuki chirped.

I felt the other two stiffen, and Aiko looked up at me. "What's Yuu talking about, Big Brother?" she asked, almost deceptively calmly. "Did you two -"

"No!" I yelped, my face burning. "Nothing happened! We just spent the night!"

Sugu peered at Yuuki. "She's glowing," she said to Aiko. I'm… pretty sure that wasn't literal…

Aiko nodded. "I bet they shared a bed," the older twin muttered. "Not fair..."

"A-Anyway," I coughed, trying to distract the other two, "Liz did a good job with the sword, right, Yuuki?"

"Yeah!" Yuuki said, bouncing up and down. Because she was hugging me from behind, I felt... strange things on my back. "It looks really cool!"

She swiped open her menu and pulled out the sword. "It's called Dark Repulser," I said to my sisters who were looking at it curiously.

The sword was slender and a deep aquamarine color. The blade itself was slightly transparent, but only a little bit, and the grip was a slightly darker color than the rest of the sword. The crossguard of the sword looked kinda like crossed daggers, and the center of the crossguard held a large polished gem the same color as the blade. The part of the blade that connected to the crossguard was indented a bit, after which point the blade was straight until the very end, where it flared a bit. All in all, it looked like a sword made out of crystal rather than metal, which was a really cool effect.

It was just a little smaller than my Elucidator, which meant it fit Yuuki's preferences perfectly. As much as I teased Liz, she did a really good job when it came to our swords.

"Cool..." Sugu breathed.

Aiko took a few seconds to peer at the blade, and then looked up at me with a smirk. "So, Kazuto," she said, "this is the second time you've given Yuu a sword... Does this mean she's the favorite in your heart?"

"Guh..." I grunted. A Sneak Attack when I wasn't expecting it… My little sister was truly devious!

Aiko giggled mischievously. "That's okay," she said, playfully pressing her palm against my chest. "There's a different sword I want from you..."

"Ah?" Sugu said, grabbing my arm and pressing it to her chest. It was really soft. I swallowed. "That's... moving kinda fast, Aiko..."

"I'm okay with sharing Big Bro," Yuuki announced to everyone. "Ah! But only with you, nobody else!"

I looked at all three of them. Sugu was blushing and refused to meet my eyes, while Aiko was giving me a cat-like smile. Yuuki was just smiling at me innocently, adoration in her eyes. In the end, I sighed. "Let's just... go get something to eat," I said.

Honestly... my family was insane... But at least I was kinda used to it, at this point.

* * *

 **Hah… Is it really a surprise that Kirito will get into random shenanigans with his sisters at this point?**

 **The first bit was a little fun I got to have with the siblings. Anyone that read One Punch Gamer (it's real good y'all should go read it) should recognize the scene; unfortunately I didn't get to have Best Girl with Kirito in the forest, but this isn't about Argo (unfortunately…). Consider the totally not blatant stealing of ideas a little nod of appreciation? Honestly, it gave me the idea and it was too perfect to give up, so I rolled with it. The basic idea went 'Get Kirito in bed with girls for innocent sleeping times' - 'they're all scared because of scary quest' - 'oh shit the only horror game I know that's useable is slender, I don't want to use that but it's the best one gods damn it' - 'fuck it, if I'm gonna do this, full on stealing the idea!' So, uh, blame my lack of horror game experience? Meh…**

 **The second bit is the reason I introduced Liz last chapter, honestly. Pretty much entirely for getting Yuuki a sword, and for giving Leafa an admirer (yes i know, but just play along. liz is into boys and girls in this, but has a huge crush on sugu.) slash friend. Plus, I needed to give Dual Blades to Yuuki.**

 **Alright, before people get salty about Dual Blades in the reviews: just don't. full stop. Ahem.**

 **So, the reason I gave Dual Blades to Yuuki is dual-fold. One, Kirito** _ **hasn't**_ **spent several months doing nothing but grinding non-stop. I figure part of that, where he was pushing himself further and harder than anyone else, probably helped out his reaction times a bit. (fun fact, you** _ **can**_ **train your reaction speed.) Since he isn't/didn't go crazy trying to rez Sachi, he doesn't have that little boost.**

 **Two, Yuuki's in there with him. Now, this is the part where people will probably get salty. I** _ **know**_ **that a large part of why she had faster reflexes than him was because she'd spent three years Diving almost daily. However, she's doing the same here; it's only been a year instead of the three, but she's trying her best to impress her Big Bro so she's trying extra hard. Just, uh, chalk it up to Yuuki going beyond the impossible because anime.**

 **(don't take my pre-emptive anti-salt personally if you think I should have given Kazuto Dual Blades instead. Just, these are my reasons why Yuuki got it. Also because I didn't want to give Kazuto his super special skill when he's not super-edgy-loner-guy this time around.)**

 **Many thanks for everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

"Bath time!" Yuuki cheered. The other girls let out a similar cheer, and I just sighed.

I just don't get why they were so excited about this. They usually took baths every night we slept in an inn, so... why now?

I guess maybe it was because we were going to a hot spring on Floor 55 instead.

At least there was a mechanical reason for taking a soak in the hot springs; like always, we got a temporary buff to luck for a while. I'd been holding off on going to see Liz to upgrade my sword for a while, just so that I could have the buff when trying.

I would have gone earlier, but the girls had forced me to promise that I'd take them with me the next time I went to the hot springs. It was a separate building outside of the Safe Zone in town, but it was still surrounded by a wooden fence for privacy.

Honestly, I didn't mind all that much that they came with me. At the end of the day, I enjoyed making those three happy, and they were clearly thrilled.

Now, as long as this doesn't turn into a repeat of the Floor 3 Bathing Incident, everything will be fine.

...

 _ **Much earlier, before Floor 3 had been cleared...**_

 _At the start of Floor 3, my sisters and I had triggered the Elf War quest chain. It was a series of quests with a lot of rewards for not too much extra work, so we focused on the quests for a while. About halfway through, after the... third or fourth quest, I don't remember exactly, part of the reward was being allowed to stay in the Dark Elf camps. They counted as Safe Zones, instead of potentially hostile areas._

 _When we spent the night, my sisters realized the camp included an open-air bath house, in a naturally occurring hot spring._

 _Being a guy, I stood guard outside the tent that led to the hot springs and acted as a changing room._

 _That was, in retrospect, a mistake._

 _"Bath time!" Yuuki cheered. My other sisters let out a similar cheer, and I just sighed._

 _I could hear their light-hearted chatter as my sisters got changed for their bath. Listening carefully, I heard the little chimes of their menus as they got undressed; the irregular ringing as they took off their equipment, followed by some more comments. Then, Leafa and Yuuki were done getting ready for their bath, but the solitary chime after that was Ran putting her hair up in a special hairstyle for bathing._

 _A few seconds after that, I heard a loud splash, followed by three incredibly content sighs. I kept casting glances at the tent opening immediately to my right, but my cheeks felt hot every time I even thought about what was happening inside._

 _About five or ten minutes into my self-enforced vigil - after all, the hot springs were just outside the Safe Zone, so_ someone _needed to keep watch, and there was zero chance I was going in there with my sisters - I heard giggling coming from my sisters._

 _"Ka~zuto!" Leafa called out coyly. "Can you come in, please?"_

 _"I'm fine!" I called back, feeling my cheeks burn. "Do you need something?"_

 _"You, in here with us," Ran called back. I heard the girls giggle again._

 _"Why?"_

 _"Huh?" Yuuki called out, completely confused. "How else are we supposed to tell who's prettier?"_

 _Leafa let out a long-suffering sigh. "C'mon, Kazuto, just for a little bit, okay? Monsters aren't gonna spawn the instant you let your guard down."_

 _I rolled my eyes and refrained from asking her to stop taunting Cardinal. "You're not going to stop until I do, are you?"_

 _"No~ope," Yuuki sang._

 _Sighing, I glanced around, hoping a monster had spawned to save me, and then brushed the tent opening aside. "What exactly do you want me to-"_

 _I cut myself off with a choke._

 _That was because at some point, the last time we were in town, each of them had purchased swimsuits. I don't even know_ where _they bought them; as far as I knew, swimsuits weren't even_ sold _until the first water Floor, Floor 8._

 _"Well?" Leafa asked, striking a pose. I noticed that a lot of creamy skin was revealed from her choice, highlighting the effect of years of kendo. "Which swimsuit do you like best?"_

 _"It's mine, right, Big Bro?" Yuuki asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet up and down. "Or maybe Sis?"_

 _"We're twins, Yuu," Ran reminded her sister. "So we'd tie, of course."_

 _Leafa had chosen an emerald bikini with white lace around the top, a ribbon tied at her chest. Yuuki had gone for the more innocent look, wearing a blue and white-striped bikini top with a frilly lower skirt. Ran was wearing something with similar colors to her twin, only... it revealed a lot more skin._

 _"Um..."_

 _I hesitated in saying anything, before just covering my eyes with one hand and groping for the exit. "You all look great!" I said hurriedly, turning and all but running out. "It's a three-way tie!"_

 _Saying anything else would have been suicide. I'd lived with these girls most of my life, I knew better than to even_ hint _at suggesting I preferred one over the rest. The other two would just take it as a cue to ramp up their flirting._

...

Yeah. I'm just going to hope it doesn't turn into another impromptu swimsuit contest. I'd managed to avoid a repeat incident so far, and I was really hoping to keep this streak going.

While I waited outside, keeping watch - even though I didn't expect monsters, better safe than sorry - I absently listened to Yuuki, Ran, and Leafa as they talked to each other. There went the three menu opening... and then there was Ran putting her hair up... and then...

I frowned when I didn't hear them get into the bath. "Everything okay in there?" I asked them.

"We're fine!" Ran called back. I heard Yuuki whisper something excitedly - she wasn't exactly the most subtle, but I still couldn't make out the exact words - and Ran added, "But, could you come in?"

"Um..."

"It's fine, Kazuto," Leafa said. "This is mixed-bathing anyway, since it's in the wild, and we're the only ones here. Nobody'll know you joined us."

 _That's kinda what I'm worried about..._

"Besides," she continued, "we're family, right? How long's it been since we took a bath together?"

I shrugged, even though they wouldn't see it. "A few years," I said. I licked my lips, and then sighed. "Sure, I'm coming in."

"Hooray!" the twins cheered.

I brushed past the hanging curtain that lead to the changing room. The girls must have gotten in the bath after I agreed, since the changing room was empty and I could hear Yuuki singing, "Takin' a bath with Big Bro~," from inside the bathing area.

After getting changed and equipping a towel around my waist for modesty, I entered the bath area proper -

-and then froze.

No, my sisters weren't comparing swimsuits this time.

That would be because they were completely naked.

Fortunately, they were already in the water covering everything from the chest down, and anything else was obscured by the steam. "Oh, Kazuto," Leafa said, "do you want one of us to wash your back?"

"I volunteer~," Ran said, licking her lips.

"I...I'm good, thanks," I said weakly.

 _This is even worse than the swimsuits..._

* * *

Staying in inns was convenient enough, I guess, but in the long run we were just throwing away money.

So, my sisters and I decided we were going to buy a house.

Of course, we couldn't just go and buy a house right away. First, we had to earn enough Col to buy the house and all the furniture we'd need; a quick message to Argo and much lighter pockets later, we knew the location of a dungeon on Floor 60 with a repeatable quest nearby. The reward was normally useless - almost no experience, which was the most important thing now that SAO was a death game, but a huge amount of money - but for what we needed it was perfect.

We went to the town in question, picked up the quest, and headed into the dungeon to start grinding Col.

The first several runs went well; we made our way through the dungeon easily, earned some experience by beating the mobs, and beat the boss without anyone getting injured in ways a potion couldn't fix easily.

The boss we had to fight was called The Rakshasa, and it was a massive, fierce-looking beast. It had a head like an ugly lion, with two massive fangs coming out of the top of its mouth. Its mane was tangled and ratty, with beads and bird feathers woven in. It was wearing tribal-like clothing and armor, and it had a huge curved sword on its back. It had a lot of strong attacks, but as long as we guarded properly and avoided the attacks we couldn't guard, we were fine.

Then, on the sixth run that day, everything went wrong.

I'm not sure really why. Maybe we were overconfident for going through the dungeon five times before without problems, or maybe the exhaustion just finally caught up to us at the worst time. It could have just been bad luck, too.

"Gah!" I exclaimed, thrown back by the final blow of The Rakshasa's strongest attack, a nine-hit combo. It was unfair, especially since player Sword Skills didn't even break five hits until at least the 700's. Unable to get away in time when I saw the warm-up, I'd managed to block the first few hits of the combo with a Sword Skill of my own, but the paralysis had frozen me at the worst time.

"Kirito!" "Big Bro!" the twins cried out at the same time. I landed heavily and slid, rolling until the momentum let me stop. I tried to push myself to my feet, but I'd taken so much damage the system had extended my paralysis.

I was helpless to watch as The Rakshasa turned and knocked the twins away with a heavy sweep of its curved sword, the tassels on its hilt swinging in the air. Not even Yuuki's acrobatic flips and parries with both swords let her escape. "Ran! Yuuki!" I groaned.

With heavy, earth-shaking footsteps, The Rakshasa approached me. I gritted my teeth, trying to move my sword, but I couldn't lift my arms.

 _Not like this... I can't leave my sisters like this!_

The Rakshasa roared again, before the curved sword descended.

I gritted my teeth.

 _Clang!_

My eyes widened.

"Don't you touch him!" Leafa roared, her blade deflecting The Rakshasa's strike. "Don't hurt my big brother!"

"Leafa," I breathed.

Again and again, The Rakshasa roared and struck at Leafa, and every time her blade met his. I could tell she was doing her best to protect me, using all of her kendo skills.

It took her toll as she fought, though. We weren't supposed to stand in one place and fight a boss that was far stronger individually. It was a miracle she'd lasted as long as she had. It seemed like minutes passed, but I knew it was barely seconds.

The Rakshasa stepped back carefully, red eyes still locked on my little sister, and I realized she was absolutely exhausted. Her arms were shaking and her knees were trembling as she panted desperately for breath. I'd seen her like this when she had been in training for the kendo championships. She'd pushed herself more and more, until the only reason she was standing was because her legs had locked in place.

But she was still standing, and she raised her sword - rattling in her shaking hands - into a ready position once more.

She couldn't keep fighting, though, and she crumpled as her body went limp.

It was okay, though. She'd bought me enough time to recover from the paralysis and drink a potion, and I carefully caught her before she hit the ground. "Hey," I said, brushing the hair from her face. "Guess you saved me again, huh?"

Leafa gave me a weak smile as she panted, her chest rising and falling with each gulping breath.

"I'm proud of you," I told her, gently lying her down in a comfortable position. "But what kind of big brother would I be if I always let you protect me? I gotta get stronger, so I'm worthy of such a great little sister."

Ran and Yuuki pulled themselves together and scrambled over to help take care of Leafa. That was fine. It meant I could destroy the boss for hurting my little sister.

"Come on, you bastard!" I shouted, swinging my sword.

It didn't last long after I got my second wind. Even without my sisters' help, I destroyed the boss. "Not so tough now," I muttered.

It sucked that I still hadn't managed to unlock the Dual Blades skill Yuuki had, despite spending extra time grinding while the girls were sleeping in late; I could hold a second sword, but I couldn't use any of her Sword Skills. On the other hand, it did mean I was the highest level of all of us.

Leafa was exhausted, though, so we just turned in the quest and went back to town. Once we had something warm to eat, the four of us headed up to our room.

While Aiko and Yuuki were off enjoying the large bath in the next room, I sat down on the bed next to Sugu. She smiled at me wanly, her motions still lethargic from exhaustion. "Hi, Kazuto," she said weakly. "I'm okay, honest," she said.

Maybe I wasn't doing such a good job hiding my concern as I'd thought. "Just checking on you," I said, patting her leg.

I fell silent, and Sugu didn't say anything. I just let my hand rest on her leg, taking comfort in the fact that she was still there. "You did something incredibly dangerous, today," I said finally. "I was able to save you this time, but I might not always be around."

She sighed. "I know," she admitted, "and I'd do it again in an instant. I..." She trailed off, swallowing the words she was about to say. I had a pretty good idea what they were, given the way her cheeks went bright scarlet.

I smiled at her. "I'm happy you didn't get hurt," I told her earnestly. "I don't know what I would do without you, Sugu."

She looked up at me. "You mean that?" she asked quietly, spreading her arms out.

"Of course I do," I said, shifting closer and giving her the hug she was asking for. She sighed happily and nestled against me.

"You're so warm..." she murmured. Her voice was drowsy. "Feel... safe..."

As she trailed off, her breathing slowly going steadily, I frowned. I hadn't expected her to fall asleep in my arms like that...

The door to the bathroom opened and Yuuki and Aiko stepped out, both sighing happily. "Ah, that felt good," Aiko said. "Sugu, bath is - oh, my," she said as soon as she saw the two of us, a leering smile spreading over her lips.

"Aw," Yuuki cooed happily, "you two look so cute, Big Bro!"

I definitely made a mistake, I realized.

This fact continued to make itself known as Aiko and Yuuki exchanged glances, and then nodded. While the older twin continued to smirk, they both got dressed for bed - and then climbed in next to me, snuggling up against me and Sugu. "Night," Yuuki said softly.

I sighed. "Good night, you two."

This is going to be a pain in the morning...

...

I was right. Waking up trapped with Sugu on one side and the twins on the other had been one of the most awkward mornings I remembered, never mind whatever my sisters said.

Of course, first place on the high score list still went to when Sugu came in to wake me up one weekend morning back IRL. I'd just started going through puberty, and, uh... It's called morning wood for a reason.

Yeah, she couldn't look at me without blushing for the rest of the day.

I still say it was her fault for jumping onto me like that. She didn't _have_ to sit on my stomach, she could have just shaken my shoulders.

After a quick breakfast, I double-checked with Sugu that she was ready to go back into the dungeon. After all, she pushed herself yesterday, and it was dangerous, and - "C'mon, Kazuto," she pouted, puffing her cheeks out. "I'm not fragile. I can take care of myself."

I scratched my cheek. "Sorry, it's just... I worry."

Sugu blushed, looking down. "Thank you..." she murmured.

It took a week straight of repeating that quest five times a day, but finally we had the money to purchase the house on Floor 23 that my sisters wanted. It was a simple two-story log cabin in the woods, with enough rooms for all of us. The bedrooms were all on the second floor; my sisters all argued over who got the room furthest on the left for some reason - Sugu won that one. I took the room closest to the stairs, and Yuuki and Aiko decided to share a room across from me.

"Well," I said, after the girls had finished decorating to their satisfaction. "Everything you hoped it would be?"

"This is nice," Aiko said. Instead of answering verbally, Yuuki just grinned widely and threw her arms around me, Sugu joining her on my other side a few seconds later. "We would've been happy anywhere, so long as you were with us," the older twin added, "but now we get to live together!"

Yuuki giggled, nuzzling into my side. "It's like we're married!" she said. "Eheheh..."

"Married... to Kazuto... Ahh, he promised me..." Sugu murmured dreamily. I glanced at her, and her cheeks were bright red. She realized I was watching her, and looked away hurriedly.

 _Well... As long as they're happy, I guess I don't have any complaints._

* * *

 **Aww…**

 **And with this, we've reached the end of Arc 2, Getting Up. How time flies…**

 **It's probably obvious, but the main focus of this arc was on Kazuto's relationship with each sister; each chapter had a different sister as a focus (or, sometimes, 'the Kirigaya family' as a whole, if all three sisters were in focus for the chapter half). It's essentially answering the question, why does Kazuto fall in love with his sisters? What does each of them have that he finds attractive?**

… **What, I'm not** _ **telling**_ **. Figure it out yourselves, jerks. (hmph.)**

 **In all seriousness, though, we've hit the end of the middle arc. The first half of the chapter is mainly just a joke – someone on QQ (thanks Mu you're awesome and I don't get to say that enough) was kind enough to breakdown the individual parts of the manga in a general SAO thread, and he pointed out a few things about Kirito and Asuna's Excellent Adventure feat. Elf Girls. One of which, it seems, includes an open-air bath.**

 **Naturally the Kiss x Sis team is going to take advantage of that** _ **ruthlessly**_ **.**

 **And then history repeats itself except worse because the second hot springs is mixed bathing. Don't worry, the girls don't mind…**

 **The second half of the chapter has two purposes; one, give Kazuto's big-brother instinct a chance to flare up, and two, to give him and the girls a new home for, uh, reasons that'll be relevant later. (it's for when he finally loses all his willpower, duhhhh)**

 **Anyway, they buy the log cabin, everyone's got their new rooms – for reference's sake, the room layout is the same as the RL Kirigaya household except Sugu and Kazuto's rooms swapped (she's on the far left, he's to the right of the stairs).**

 **In the end, they've all moved in together and we're moving onto Arc 3: Getting Down.**

 **Thanks all for reading.**

 **(i'm sure you can all imagine what's going to happen in arc 3)**

 **(also next chapter contains a date, everyone please remain calm and stay seated)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Ahh, we're finally home," Sugu moaned. My sisters nodded in agreement, Aiko mumbling something and Yuuki swaying back and forth, dead on her feet.

"Sor-" I started to apologize, before a yawn ambushed me. "Sorry," I said after yawning. "Didn't... think it would take that long..."

"S'okay, Kazuto..." Sugu said, her eyes blinking slowly. Each time, it looked like she had to struggle to open her eyes again. "Not your fault..."

If I was exhausted, and I definitely felt like it, then my sisters were all dead on their feet. Aiko looked like she was staying awake only through force of will, and Yuuki... "Munya," Yuuki mumbled, nearly toppling over before she caught herself, only to start leaning the other direction.

And as tired as we all were, I still wanted to go through the drops we earned in the dungeon before going to bed. Another late night...

Sitting down on the couch, I let my body relax and closed my eyes for a few seconds. Just a few seconds...

The shifting weight of the cushion broke me from my half-doze and I opened my eyes. "Aiko?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you," she replied sleepily, yawning while she swiped open her menu. Tucking her legs under her, she rested against my side before she started tapping away. "Two's faster, right?"

I smiled at my little sister and gently patted her head, ruffling her hair and earning a sleepy coo of appreciation, before looking at the other two. "Go up to bed," I told them. "Yuuki looks like she's already asleep, and Sugu, you're exhausted."

"Mmm..." Sugu mumbled. "Sure, Kazuto?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Aiko and I can handle things."

"'Kay. C'mon, Yuuki," Sugu said, gently catching Yuuki by the shoulders. The sleepy twin immediately turned, nuzzling into Sugu's chest and wrapping her arms around the older girl. "H-hey, that tickles," Sugu giggled tiredly. "Ah, why are you so cute..."

Yuuki mumbled something that might be words in response.

As those two went upstairs to brush their teeth and get changed for bed, I let out a tired sigh and went back to my own menu. We needed to sort the drops into useful crafting materials, bargaining equipment, and vendor trash. It was tedious work, but we had to do it eventually.

We'd almost missed a nice ring one time by not going over everything carefully. After Aiko caught it at the last second, we ended up selling it for 10K col. After that, I'd decided to always go over everything, no matter how tired I was.

...

I blinked blearily, stirring and sitting up. I looked around, confused by where I was and why my body was so warm, before memories slowly trickled back. I must have fallen asleep on the couch... and looking down, so had Aiko. My little sister had curled up against me, draping herself over most of my lower body with her hand lightly clutching my shirt. As adorable as she looked, I shook her. "Mmm, Aiko..."

Aiko murmured sleepily and snuggled closer.

"Have to get up..." Her hair was half-covering her face as she used me as a pillow, a few of the longer strands sticking to her pink lips. I shook her a few more times, before I gave up.

Glancing at the menu, we'd sorted almost everything before drifting off. I finished the sorting as quickly as I could, still half-asleep, and then gently slipped out from under Aiko. Picking her up, I made my way upstairs and to the twins' room.

Inside, Yuuki was already tucked into bed thanks to Sugu's careful help. Careful not to disturb either the sleeping girl in the bed or the one in my arms, I pulled the covers down and put Aiko in the bed. Even though she was asleep, Aiko murmured, "Yuu," and rolled over to hug her twin. Yuuki's lips shifted into a tiny smile.

As I tucked my sisters into bed, I could only think, _They're cute like that._

I walked out of their room and turned to the right, making my way down the hall to where my room was. Ten years of habit guided me to my room and I slipped inside, not making any noise. I was barely awake enough to get changed into my pajamas, before I got into bed.

I was asleep almost immediately, but a few things niggled at my mind before I fell asleep.

Why did my bed smell so sweet? And why was it so warm?

...

 _"Kazuto, please?" Sugu begged me, tugging on my shirt. "I wanna hear about the princess again!"_

 _I sighed, then smiled at my little sister. I couldn't say no to that cute face. "'Kay, Sugu," I said. "Let me get the book."_

 _After retrieving Sugu's favorite story book, I sat down on the floor of her room. Happily, Sugu hopped into my lap, wriggling around until I spread my legs a little bit. "Yay!" she cheered, resting against me. Her head fit just under my chin._

 _I opened the book, even though I knew it by heart by now. Sugu really liked having me read it to her, even if she could read it herself. "Once upon a time," I began._

 _I read the book to Sugu. No matter how many times she had me read it to her, she always smiled._

 _"...and the Princess and the Prince got married and lived happily ever after," I finished the story, and closed it._

 _Unlike normal, Sugu didn't hop out of my lap right away. "Hey, Kazuto?" she asked, leaning against my stomach._

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"What's it mean to get married?"_

 _I knew this! Proudly, I said, "It's when a boy and a girl really love each other and they decide to spend the rest of their life together." I'd asked Mom about it one day. "Like Mom and Dad."_

 _"Oh!" Sugu said. Then she said, "Kazuto, let's get married when we grow up! That way I'll always get to be with you since I really love you a whole lot!"_

 _That made sense. "Okay, sure," I said._

 _Sugu giggled and hugged me. "No telling the others, okay? It's our secret until we get older!"_

 _Solemnly, we locked our pinkies together and made a pinky swear to secrecy._

...

I woke up slowly.

 _Mmm... So comfortable..._

Waking up slowly wasn't something I got to do often, ever since we all got trapped in SAO. There were just too many things to do. Plus, the few times I slept in it was really easy for Sugu to wake me up in the mornings when we shared rooms.

But right now I didn't feel any haste or urgency. Everything seemed distant. I was relaxed and secure, and I wasn't sure why. My whole body felt warm, and my pillows were softer than I ever could remember. It felt like I was sleeping on clouds, and a nice pressure weighed down my left leg, soft cushions around it.

Through the haze of sleep I started to remember what had happened last night. We'd gotten home late... and Aiko and I started to doze off on the couch, so we went to bed... I went to my room at the far end of the hall...

Wait.

I tried to move my leg, only to have it blocked. A sleepy feminine murmur accompanied my attempt, and I gulped before slowly, slowly turning my head to the left.

Sure enough, it was what I'd expected. Sugu was sleeping next to me, just starting to wake up thanks to me disturbing her. Her eyes fluttered open, and when they focused on me she smiled warmly. Her cheeks still went bright red, though. "Morning, Kazuto," she said, wrapping her arms around me and keeping my body trapped against her chest. "Did you sleep well?"

"I, uh..." I failed my first Conversation check, and then recovered. "You picked this room on purpose, didn't you."

She smiled. "Uh huh. I was hoping you'd walk in here by accident while I was changing, but this was nice too." Even while her cheeks were fire red, she didn't hesitate to admit to her plan. Truly, my sister is a dangerous opponent.

"Hey, Big Sis, have you seen Big -"

I winced as Yuuki's voice cut off mid-word. I could _feel_ Sugu's smirk as she tightened her embrace just enough to subtly press my cheek against her chest. "Good morning, Yuuki," Sugu said.

"Yuu, why did you stop? Is Sugu not -"

Aiko's voice cut off in a sort of strangled groan. It sounded like disappointment. I managed to squirm just enough to turn my head away from Sugu's strongest weapons and look at the doorway. Both Aiko and Yuuki were standing there, staring at me and Sugu. Yuuki looked surprised, while Aiko just seemed resigned.

A few seconds later, both of them Pouted at the same time, doubling the effectiveness of the technique. My twin sisters were also dangerous... "No fair," they chorused. "How come _you_ got to sleep with him first?"

Of course they're just mad Sugu got me into her bed before they did. Not for any other reason.

I miss the days when I thought my family could be anything resembling normal.

* * *

We were shopping in the main town of Floor 62 when someone tackled me from behind, small arms wrapping around my waist as I was hugged.

I blinked in surprise. "What is it, Yuuki?" I asked.

My little sister had the habit of just tackle-hugging me out of nowhere for no real reason. Every time I looked at her when she did that, she giggled and grinned happily, so I didn't have the heart to tell her to stop.

"Um, Big Bro?" Yuuki asked. I looked over to see her standing next to Ran, both twins staring at me. "That's... not me."

I blinked in confusion, and then looked over my shoulders. A brown-haired girl had buried her face in my back. The red overcoat she was wearing had gold trim on the edge, leaving her shoulders bare. A metal breastplate kept her torso safe. _Hey, I think I recognize those twintails._ "Silica?" I asked. "Is that you?"

The girl hugging me looked up, a huge smile on her face. "Yeah!" Silica said happily. "It's so good to see you again, Mr. Kirito!"

This was unexpected. I caught my sisters staring at the two of us, and scratched my cheek awkwardly. "Um... Good to see you too, Silica. Been a while, huh?"

"Yeah," she said, finally releasing me to stand back and grin. "I've gotten a lot stronger, too!"

I smiled at her. "Good job. Anyway, my sisters and I were restocking on our potions."

Silica giggled. "I need to do that myself. Do you mind if I come along?"

I glanced at my sisters, but the twins just shrugged. Leafa nodded and said, "I don't mind if you don't, Kazuto."

"Sure, then, Silica," I said, smiling at the younger girl. "The more the merrier."

With Silica now joining us in our shopping, we kept going through the shops. "So, Silica," I said as we walked down the main streets, "how have you been? We haven't seen you since... Floor 5, I think."

"I've been doing really well," the twintailed girl said, smiling up at me. "I've been doing my best to get stronger, like you told me to."

"Eheh..." I laughed awkwardly. That hadn't been my intention... "You're using a dagger?" I saw the weapon on her hip.

She nodded. "Yeah, but that's not all!" She brought her fingers to her lips and let out a whistle. A cry answered her, and a shadow swooped over our heads before the animal casting the shadow landed on Silica's shoulder.

"Aww," my sisters all cooed simultaneously, "so cute!"

A blue Feathered Little Dragon had landed on Silica's shoulders. The little blue dragon looked at us and let out a soft 'kyuu' before flapping its wings. "This is Pina," Silica said, petting the dragon. The monster leaned into her hand before licking her cheek. "Heheh, that tickles!"

"That's a tamed monster, right?" I asked. Seeing players with tamed monsters was rare, since the requirements to make them friendly were kinda hard. "That's really impressive, Silica."

Silica brightened at the praise, smiling. "Thank you! I met her on Floor 20, when I fed her some meat. She's been my best friend through all this."

We kept talking as the five of us walked around the town, buying the potions and crystals my sisters and I needed. I was glad Silica was doing well, especially after we'd parted. I'd been a little worried about her, but taking care of my sisters took precedence.

 _Man, now I feel a little guilty..._

By the time we were finished shopping, the sun was starting to set. The sky was dyed a pretty orange; still, I'd started to become a little used to the sight after seeing it every day.

"Um..." Silica said suddenly, speaking up hesitantly while sneaking glances at me. "Mr. Kirito?"

"Yeah? What is it, Silica?"

"I, um... I didn't really need to get any potions today," she said, playing with her hands like she had no idea what to do with them.

Ran snorted. "We kinda noticed when you didn't buy anything," she said. I glanced at her; she usually wasn't this snippy. She realized I was looking at her, and blushed before looking away.

"Th-that's..." Silica stammered, "that's because I... I wanted to ask you something, Mr. Kirito, but I lost my nerve!"

I smiled gently at her. "Take a deep breath, Silica. Whatever your question is, I'm sure it's okay."

She blinked at me, and then took a deep breath. On her shoulder, Pina the dragon mimicked her master. "Then," Silica said after exhaling, "um, Mr. Kirito... W-will you go on... on a date with me?"

A beat of silence hung in the air as we stared at the girl blushing profusely.

"WhaaaaaAAAAT?!" my sisters shouted, eyes wide and jaws open from shock as they stared at her.

"Y-You, uh, want to go on a date... with me?" I asked, pointing at myself. Where was this coming from? I felt a little weird, realizing a girl that _wasn't_ one of my sisters was interested in me.

Silica fidgeted, beet red, and then nodded stiffly.

"I, uh... I'm flattered..." I glanced at my sisters, but they were too busy staring at Silica to meet my eyes. Leafa's eyes were calculating, while the twins had matching looks of shock.

 _I really wish she'd asked me this in private, instead of my sisters..._

I smiled at the girl. She looked like she was about to pass out, she seemed so nervous. "Okay, Silica," I said. "When would you like to go?"

"WhaaaaaAAAAT?!" my sisters shouted, eyes wide and jaws open from shock as they stared at me.

Silica's mouth widened into a huge smile as she clenched her fists together and celebrated. "Hooray!" she cheered. Pina let out a 'kyuu' and started circling her master's head. "We did it, Pina!"

I scratched my cheek awkwardly. To my side, Leafa was studying me thoughtfully, while Yuuki and Ran were both pouting at me. The older twin muttered something I thought sounded like, "...says yes to _her_..."

 _Great, now I have to deal with three jealous sisters..._

Maybe I hadn't thought this through very well before agreeing.

...

The next day, I got ready for my date with Silica. We were going to meet on Floor 47 - when she'd asked me if I had any ideas the day before, I thought back to when my sisters and I first encountered the flower-filled town of Floria. Ran and Yuuki had been enthralled, and Silica was about their age, so I figured she would be happy.

I Warped to Floria and looked around, trying to spot Silica. "Ah! Mr. Kirito! Over here!"

I looked over to where the voice was coming from to see Silica waving at me. Smiling and giving an awkward wave back - shrinking in on myself a little when some of the other players looked at me and smiled knowingly - I made my way over to the girl.

Gone was her red coat with the semi-detachable sleeves, and the black skirt with thigh-high stockings. She wasn't wearing _any_ of her armor, actually, and the only concession to SAO was the blue dragon riding on her shoulder.

Instead, she looked like, well, a regular teenage girl ready to go on a date. She was wearing a flowing orange dress with a white ruffled collar, a small black ribbon tied around her neck. She'd kept her twintails, but swapped out the hair bobbles for a pair of simple red ribbons. Instead of black boots, she wore cute open-toed sandals.

 _Wow, she's as cute as Yuuki and Aiko..._

"H-Hi, Mr. Kirito," she said, smiling up at me.

"It's fine if you just call me Kirito," I told her. "So, ready to go?"

"Uh huh!" she said. "Let's go, Kirito!"

As we walked, I took her hand in mine just like I did with Aiko. Silica let out a small squeak, and when I looked over at her I saw her cheeks were dusted with light pink. Scratching my cheek, I didn't say anything.

The two of us wandered through the streets of Floria for a while as Silica enjoyed the sights. The flowers were beautiful, and Silica loved crouching by the edge of one of the flowerbeds to smell their fragrance.

After we saw the flowers, Silica and I went to one of the cafes on the floor. It wasn't very crowded, since it was only 2 in the afternoon, and the only other player present was a girl in tight, revealing equipment with a brown hood. "This one's supposed to be good," I said. "Apparently their parfaits are delicious." Yuuki and Asuna had come here at some point, apparently, and the younger twin had gushed about the desserts when she got back. She and Asuna had split one.

"Really? I'll try one, then," Silica said.

Judging by the way her face lit up on the first bite, the parfait lived up to the hype. "Good?" I asked.

"Mhm!" She swallowed. "Here, try some!"

She offered me a spoonful of the sweet treat, and I accepted the bite. It really was tasty.

After the two of us worked together to finish off the massive parfait, we left to go to the next stop. "This is a peaceful dungeon," I told Silica as we wandered down the cobblestone paths of the Hill of Memories, the northern dungeon on Floor 47. "The only enemies here are triggered by stepping on some trapped stones, but I know where they are. Leafa had a really tough time when we explored this place before, so I made sure to memorize where the traps were."

Silica giggled. "Hehe! Sounds like you had fun going through here the first time. It's really pretty, though." The smile on her face hadn't disappeared since we crossed the bridge over the little river that marked the entrance of the dungeon.

As we walked, I pointed out the trapped stones that would spawn the Garish Gerberas and Land Anenomes. "That one'll spawn a Gerbera," I told Silica, pointing out one of the trapped stones. Any amount of pressure would spawn it, so we had to be careful to walk around. "Leafa triggered it last time, and it kinda got her in trouble."

"Trouble how?"

"Well..." I scratched my cheek. "The Garish Gerbera tangled her in its tentacles and lifted her in the air. She needs two hands to use her katana, so, uh..."

Silica huffed. "That's the worst when that happens! At least I have Pina," she sighed. I blinked, and she blushed lightly. "Plant mobs don't like me very much, and I don't know why," she muttered sheepishly.

I just patted her head. "Neither do I. C'mon, it's almost sunset and we have to get to the end of the path before then."

When we finally reached the end of the Hill of Memories, we stood on the highest hill, with the best view. "Whoa..." Silica breathed, taking in the view. "Pretty..."

The hill at the end of the dungeon had a perfect view of the sky, lit up in brilliant hues as the sun started to set. We'd arrived just in time; the sun had just started to set, so the sky had a beautiful gradient from orange to blue stretching over our heads. The few clouds in the sky were lit up in brilliant scarlet.

"When we first saw this," I said, "my sisters were just as amazed as you are. I knew I had to take you here to see it."

Silica smiled. "It really is beautiful," she said.

"Mhm."

"Hey, Kirito?" Silica stepped forward and turned to face me, her back against the setting sun. It framed her, illuminating her from behind. "Thanks for today," she said. "I really had a lot of fun. Thanks for taking me out."

I smiled. "I'm glad."

"But..." She smiled at me. "I don't think it'll work out."

"I..." I don't know why, exactly, but she didn't seem upset.

Silica giggled. "I like it better when you're my senior anyway, Mr. Kirito. Take care of me, okay?"

I gave a resigned sigh at what she called me and shook my head. "Okay, Silica."

...

"Just friends, huh?" Aiko asked, sitting next to me and tucking her legs underneath herself before handing me her hairbrush. "That's too bad."

I shrugged, before getting to work brushing her long hair. "I'm not sure exactly why," I said, "since I'm pretty sure she had fun. I took her to all the places you three liked, so..."

Aiko craned her head to stare at me under the curtain of her bangs, and then sighed fondly before facing front and letting me get back to running the brush through her silky hair. "Idiot," she scolded me.

 _What? What did I do?_

* * *

 **Kazuto is very clueless about why Silica bowed out gracefully. Again, he doesn't really think things through before he speaks.**

 **Not going to lie, the entire reason they got the house was setup for the waking up Sugu's bed joke. Like, 100 percent. Also we finally get the details behind Sugu and Kazuto's marriage promise; I was torn between the ending we have here and an ending where Kazuto's reading or playing video games and not really paying attention to what Sugu's saying. He ends up agreeing to something that she asks him (which is the marriage promise) without thinking.**

 **And then we have the date! Which, sad to say for the hopefuls, was not with one of the sisters (hey, i have to get my fun somehow and this was the best trolling i could find so gimme a break). Instead, Silica makes her 'grand' reappearance. Eh, mainly just wrapping up loose ends and kicking off Arc 3. Also note that she's not stupid enough to act like his little sister like in canon. The girls are being understanding since above all they want their brother to be happy, but Silica's not going to intrude on claimed territory.**

 **Many thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, or reviewed.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

 **A month before the SAO beta…**

"Argo, I need help."

I snickered. "Not gonna say ya don't, Kirito," I said playfully. "But it's a long list, gotta narrow it down a bit. Whatcha need 'xactly?" He huffed over the mic. Leaning back in my computer chair, I absently moved my mouse to sell off all the vendor trash we'd picked up in the last raid.

Kirito didn't reply right away, which was actually kinda surprising. He was the type of guy to just say whatever was on his mind without thinking about how it would sound out loud, so this kind of thoughtfulness was new. Whatever he needed my help with, it was something pretty important to him.

I don't really remember when I met Kirito, to be honest. Bad thing for an info broker, I know, but we've been friends for a while now. All I know is that we met in _some_ sort of MMO, when we got thrown together in a raid party that needed some DPS. Both of us were solo players, so naturally we didn't talk to the rest of the people - they were all part of the same guild. Since both of us had DPS builds, though we used different main weapons, we got to talking about our skills. After the raid ended, we both had a new addition on our Friends List.

I asked him about it later, when we were playing a different MMO, and he admitted that he only ever had that one name on his Friends List.

Heh.

Anyway, even though he had this weird blind spot when it came to me - seriously, he _still_ thought I was a guy! Even after we'd had an actual face-cam chat, too! - Kirito was usually pretty good about handling things on his own. So, when he asked me for help, of course I said I'd help him out.

"Well, I..." He sighed. Idly, I headed over to the blacksmith in-game and started repairing all my equipment. Man, those long fights really drain the durability... "I should probably start at the beginning. I live with three girls, and -"

"Wait, what?!"

"Huh? Oh, right, I never told you I had sisters, did I?" My god, Kirito, think your words through! "Um. Yeah. Three sisters. Sugu's a year younger than me, and then the twins are two years younger."

I grinned. "Yer mom got busy, didn't she?"

He sighed. "Thank you for the mental image, Argo."

"It's nothin', ya don' even owe me for it."

"Anyway, that's part of the problem."

For the next few minutes, Kirito explained to me exactly what was up with his family tree. He and the twins had been adopted by his aunt, and 'Sugu' was her daughter, except the twins were totally unrelated and had been adopted because they got attached to Kirito while _he_ was in the hospital because his parents had passed away when he was a kid, and... "Yeesh," I snorted. "Yer family tree's all kinds 'a messed up. So what's the emergency?"

"I... might have screwed up earlier," he admitted slowly.

"An' in other breakin' news, water's wet. C'mon, Kirito, I can't help ya unless ya tell me what's up," I sighed. Honestly, it's like pulling teeth with this guy sometimes! Get him started on games and he can go for hours at a time, but anything else and he just clams up. I almost wish we were in a PvP zone just so I could smack his character with my dagger.

Kirito sighed. "My sisters and I got into a pretty big argument," he said. "It's summer, so it's hot, right? Well, apparently that means that they don't have to wear much around the house."

With just that, I winced. Kirito probably said something stupid without meaning to, which pissed off his sisters, which led to... whatever was wrong.

"Hey, your sister, does she do that kind of thing? Just wear really revealing clothes, if it's just family?" he asked.

I glanced over my shoulder. Naturally, my big sis was just chilling on the bed, reading a book while she sucked on a popsicle. She wasn't even wearing pants, just her panties, which I had a pretty good view of from my computer chair. "Yeah, that's about right," I said with a shrug.

"Doesn't it... bother you?" he asked. Oh, you poor, sweet idiot boy.

"Nah," I said with another shrug. "Why?"

He fell silent for a few seconds, and then finally said, "W-Well, it doesn't really matter. But... I tried to get them to put und- clothes on, and well, it kinda got out of hand." Heh. I heard that slip of the tongue, guy. _Where_ exactly where you looking? "When they said it was fine because they were my sisters, I... might have yelled that they weren't my real sisters."

 _Smack._ My hand made a pretty loud sound as it hit my forehead, and I muted my mic before letting out a loud, exasperated sigh as I dragged it down my face. My god, he's such an idiot. And judging by how he's asking me for help, they probably had no clue about this whole mess until Kirito opened his big mouth.

"Argo? I heard something hit your desk, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I groaned, un-muting my mic. It was an answer to both him and my sister, who'd looked over at my admittedly loud reaction. "Kirito, tell me ya didn' just drop the bomb an' then walk out, please," I said.

Deafening silence, then, "…I think Mom's talking to them?"

"'Course ya did," I groaned. Why do I like this idiot again? Sheesh. "Right, right, lesse how yer best friend can pull ya out of the hole ya dug yerself..."

"Thanks, Argo," he said, sounding incredibly grateful, _as he should_. "I seriously owe you one."

I grinned, cat-like. I _loved_ it when people owed me favors, and that beta for Sword Art Online was coming up pretty soon...

...

 **During the SAO beta…**

It was a week or two after Kirito's panicked begging that I finally met one of the sisters. I randomly got a call notification on my rig right before I was about to Dive into SAO, and I accepted it. Probably Kirito confirming where we were meeting up, or something. "Yo," I said. "Whatcha need, Kirito?"

"...U-um, hello? I didn't mean to hit this and call you, I'm sorry! I'm not good with computers, I don't know what happened!"

The second I heard the feminine voice, I grinned. "Oh hey," I said, "ya must be one of the sisters I've heard so much about."

"Eep!" she squeaked. "Wh-who are you?"

I grinned. Oh, she's _adorable_. "My name's Argo," I told her. "Well, it's not my name, but it's what yer bro calls me."

"Kazuto?" she asked. "How do you know Kazuto?"

"We're friends," I said casually, leaning back. "So which one're you? One of the twins?"

The girl made a sound of denial. "I'm his... cousin," she said, clearly tasting the word in her mouth. "Yeah... his cousin."

I raised an eyebrow. She sounded kinda happy about that. And, Kirito'd told me about how after he'd accidentally revealed that they _weren't_ brother and sisters, all of his sisters had started getting a little too, uh, affectionate. "Y'got a crush on yer bro, don'tcha?"

"Eh?! I-I don't... He's..."

I laughed brightly. "Calm down, girl. If anythin', this is yer lucky day. Take a seat an' I'll explain." A thought struck me. "Oh, hey, uh, where exactly is Kirito? Yer in his room, so..."

"Kazuto's asleep on his bed," Suguha told me. "He's wearing that weird helmet thing again. I wish he'd spend time with me, though..."

"'Kay, cool. Anyway!" I said. "Like I said, this is yer lucky day. I'm like a genie, only instead 'a three wishes for whatever ya want, it's only one wish, an' that wish is 'I wanna get the guy.' Sound like a plan?"

"...Tell me more," she said.

Ooh, I like her already~.

...

 **During SAO...**

I'm not exactly sure why, but despite being his best friend Kirito _still_ hadn't figured out I was actually a gal and not a guy. It didn't help that I found his mistake actually kinda hilarious by this point, and that I was doing my absolute best to keep him in the dark as long as possible. It was tough I didn't get to see my best friend face-to-face, but we still used the voice chat in SAO every now and then to talk.

Didn't stop me from being surprised when I got a message right before I went to bed.

'Hey Argo, I need some more advice. I was talking with a girl earlier, and I can't stop thinking about her. What's going on?"

Naturally, my response was calm and helpful, like every time I gave Kirito advice.

His second message was a little more clear, since I asked him for details. Apparently, the Moonlit Black Cats - a small guild I remember him helping out a while back in... Asuka Online, I think it was - were in SAO with us, and it turned out that the one who always played the healer, Sachi, was actually a gal. Huh.

In the end, I just gave him some advice - with only a little bit of teasing sprinkled in at the very end - before closing the message window. All I could do was give the guy advice, it was up to him on how he used it.

The next morning, I got a three-word message from Leafa. 'He chose us.'

Haha, I knew it. That boy was too big a siscon to choose someone else, even if he didn't seem to realize it just yet himself.

...Hm, 'The Black Siscon'... It has merit. I'll workshop it a bit before bugging Kirito about it. I bet his reaction will be hilarious~.

* * *

All good things must come to an end, of course, and sooner or later I ran out of excuses to not see Kirito.

It didn't help that his latest message, the one I finally agreed to meet him, said, 'I'm looking forward to seeing my best friend. It's been a while.'

I mean, how could I say no to that? It'd be like kicking a puppy.

...Plus, I really wanted to talk with my best friend, too. My network of little Mice couldn't compare, no matter how good the network of informants I'd developed was.

Either way, if what I saw last week while spying on him was any indication, the Plan is just about finished, so I can move things into Stage 3. After sending a few messages, I got up off the inn chair, paid for my mug of milk, and headed out. I needed to make sure everything was going to work out this afternoon - my reputation was riding on it.

A few minutes later, I reached the meeting spot and nodded, satisfied. I'd deliberately chosen a place with a romantic view, since seeing Kirito's face when he finally realized would be reason enough; after glancing at the scenic park, I chose a bench that was removed enough from the general public that we could have a private conversation, but not enough that it would feel isolated. The birdsong chirping in the trees was a nice touch, though it started to get old once I realized the tweeting was starting to repeat itself.

That settled, I took a seat on the bench and got comfortable.

When Kirito finally arrived, I watched with a hidden smirk as his eyes picked me out and then moved on. He wandered through the park a little bit, searching for who he thought he was meeting. I decided to be nice and only let him stew for a minute or two, calling out when he started getting near me again. He was starting to approach the trees opposite my bench when I said, "Hey, Mr. Black Swordsman! Looking for someone?"

Kirito looked over at me, and said, "Yeah... My friend said to meet him here. I thought he..." He trailed off, scrutinizing me intently. He ain't stupid, I knew he'd figure it out. "Argo, is that you?"

"Aww, what gave me away?" I pretended to pout, snickering a little. "Could it be that yer heart started poundin' when ya saw me an' ya just knew?"

"Nothing like that," he said flatly, waving his hand. Ouch. If I didn't know better, I'd be offended. "But... how do you have your sister's appearance? The mirrors should have changed everything back, even though you customized your beta avatar... Hmm, maybe if you..."

I shook my head as he drifted off into video game imagination land. "Hey, hey," I said, snapping my fingers, "stay with me, Kirito. Nothin' so fancy. Yer over-thinkin' it." When I just got a blank stare in response, I reintroduced my palm to my forehead. "Yer an idiot."

He blinked, before suddenly blushing. "Wait, you're a girl?!" he yelped.

"Ya finally noticed, huh?"

"Wait, but... You were a... This whole time?"

I snickered at his complete loss for words. "Yeah, yeah, like I said, yer an idiot. Now sit down, we got business ta take care of."

He shifted awkwardly as he took a seat next to me, and I grinned. Clearly, the date-like nature of the meeting spot threw him for a loop now that he finally realized I was of the fairer half of humanity. His reaction was everything I could have hoped for and more!

The actual business was brisk and to the point; Kirito had known me long enough that he was able to roll with the punches pretty well. Of course, he _was_ thrown a bit, so his bargaining skills suffered, something I didn't hesitate to take advantage of. I might be his best friend, but business is business. I knew the rumors said I'd sell my own grandmother for Col - I was the one responsible for starting that rumor in the first place.

Either way, after I finished tallying my profit with a smirk Kirito leaned back and said, "I can't believe you were a girl the whole time. Bet you were laughing at me, huh?"

"Yeah," I admitted shamelessly. "Yer cluelessness was kinda cute, though. Way too much fun ta jus' reveal right away."

He shook his head and sighed fondly. "Of course... You're still Argo, I guess." My smirk widened. "Anything else?" he asked, starting to stand up.

I caught the edge of his coat. "Hey, hey, sit down," I protested. "It's been two years, I wanna catch up." He obeyed, of course. His sisters had him well trained. "Seriously, though, Kirito, how's it goin'? Ya don' tell me much over messages."

"Well..." He scratched his cheek. "I'm not really sure what to say, Argo. I mean, you probably know everything already, don't you?"

I mean, he's not wrong, per se. "What 'bout the stuff I don' know? Like, ma'be, how yer sisters are doin'? I don' have anyone stupid 'nough to spy on them yet, so I'm curious."

He blushed.

Excellent.

...

 _"So," I said to Suguha, "the number one thing ya can't do is push him too far. Ya do that, he's gone for good. Take it slow, make yer feelin's clear since he's a guy therefore dense by nature, but don't ever force him to make a choice then an' there. If yer doin' it right, he'll come ta you. I can tell you're smart, Suguha, so try ta use that ta yer advantage. Figure out what yer bro's done an' why he did it, an' ya can figure out what he's gonna do next. I figure he probably has_ some _sort 'a schedule, so ya can time walkin' out of the bathroom in yer towel or somethin'."_

 _Suguha was quiet for a few seconds, writing down what I told her about Kirito. I knew my best friend pretty well, since it'd been a couple years since we met, and I was pretty sure I knew how he'd react. "Um, Miss Argo?" she asked._

 _"Well, ya got my gender right, unlike yer idiot of a brother," I said playfully, "but just Argo's fine."_

 _"A-Alright then, Argo. Uh, what I wanted to ask was, why?"_

 _I blinked. "Whatcha mean?"_

 _"Why tell me all this?" Suguha asked._

 _I grinned and leaned back in my chair. "'Cause he might be an idiot, but Kirito's still my best friend," I said. "I want him to be happy, y'know? And he cares 'bout you all more than even he realizes. He told me about how he said some stuff in the heat 'a the moment, a few weeks back. Wanna know the first thing he did?"_

 _"...What?"_

 _"Ask me what ta do ta make it up ta you three," I told her. "Poor guy was so upset when he thought his beloved sisters were mad at him."_

 _"...Really?" Suguha asked. "Kazuto said that?"_

 _"Uh huh."_

 _She giggled softly. "I'm glad," she said. "He really does care about us..."_

 _"'Course he does, he's yer bro," I snorted. "An' even if things don't work out the way I'm pretty sure they will, he'll still love all 'a ya. Just keep that in mind while yer workin' on him."_

...

"So, ya moved in together with yer sisters? Ya move fast, Kirito," I said, teasing the poor guy.

He frowned at me half-heartedly. "I told you, it's not like that, Argo," he protested. "We're siblings, we can't -"

"No yer not."

He blinked at me.

"Yer not siblings," I repeated, tapping his forehead with a slender finger. "Yer the one who tol' me that, dummy. So if ya decide to go a li'l further, there's nothin' wrong with that. Sure, some people'll look at ya weird, but fuck 'em."

Kirito fidgeted in his seat. "...They wouldn't... I mean, they tease, but that's all they're doing. Sooner or later they'll find someone they really want to be with, and I -"

"Kazuto," I said flatly, pinning him with an arch gaze. I saw the way his eyes widened when I used his real name, and I knew I had his attention. "Don' play dumb. You're cute when it's genuine, but when ya force it it's just irritatin'."

He licked his lips, and then sighed. "I'm just... They care so much about me, Kana, and I don't want to hurt them."

"An' ya think that keepin' yer distance isn't?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He sighed. At least he knows when he's being stupid. "What do you want me to say, Kana? That I love my sisters, and not in the brotherly way? Because I..." He blinked. "Because I do," he admitted in a tone of voice that sounded like he was just realizing it now.

Finally, yeesh.

I could have played up the teasing best friend act, but he looked so _lost_ that I didn't have the heart. "It's okay," I said gently. "Why'd ya fall in love with 'em?"

"Over the last two years," he said, staring at his hands like they belonged to someone else, "I've been by their side every day through good days and bad, and over time I just saw more and more reasons to love them. They're strong, and kind, and..."

"Pretty?"

"Beautiful," he corrected me. I rolled my eyes fondly. "But choosing between them would break their hearts. And it'd be even worse if I ended up choosing one of the twins, because then all _three_ of them would be upset. I'd tear my family apart, Kana, and that's the _last_ thing I would ever do."

I smiled at hearing the conviction in his voice. "So, let's play pretend for a few seconds, 'kay? What would ya do if Ran an' Yuuki decided they both wanted to go on a date with ya? They're twins, right? Don't they share _everythin_ '?" I added a little lilt to the last word, and judging by the blush on his face he knew what I was getting at.

"I..." He sighed. "As long as they were okay with it, then... I'd probably say yes..." he admitted quietly.

Well, that's good enough for me. "Ya heard that, right?" I asked out loud, raising my voice. "C'mon, get out here."

Two girls emerged from the trees they'd been hiding behind, both of their faces bright red, and Kirito choked. "Ran? Yuuki?" he sputtered. "What are you... What?"

The twin girls fidgeted. Yuuki nudged Ran, and the older twin pushed her younger sister forward a few steps. "Um," Yuuki said, "Big Bro? What you told Miss Argo, is it true? I-I mean, about the whole, us thing, not what you were saying about moving in with us, I know that's true, um..." The flood of words petered off as she poked her fingers together bashfully, playing with her hands.

"What Yuu's trying to ask is," Ran said, "if we asked you on a date right now, both of us, would you say yes?"

Kirito looked at me, almost betrayed, and I just gave him a flat stare in response. _Don't look at me, dummy, I'm not the one getting asked out_ , it tried to convey. Fortunately, he'd known me long enough to be able to read it, and he sighed before turning back to the girls. "Yes," he said. "I would."

Ran and Yuuki squealed with joy before rushing their big brother.

Aww...

My work here is done.

I'm kinda glad those three asked for my help last week, anyway.

...

 _"You want me ta what?" I asked, not entirely certain I wasn't imagining things._

 _Leafa folded her arms in front of her, below her, ah, bountiful tracks of land. Almost against my will, I glanced at my own chest._

 _Flat chests are justice, I told myself._

 _"I want your help again," she said. "All of us do." On either side of her, the twins nodded, making identical sounds of agreement._

 _I leaned back in my chair and sipped at the steaming mug of hot chocolate before rubbing my forehead. "What is it with this family an' askin' the impossible of me?" I grumbled. "Fine, fine," I said, watching all three of their faces light up, "but ya gotta tell me 'xactly why ya want me ta help all_ three _'a ya get with yer big bro."_

 _The girls looked at each other, their Sibling Communication uncrackable even to me, before Leafa looked at me and said, "Because we're family," she said simply. "None of us want to hurt the other two, so an actual competition is out of the question. If two of us have to suffer for one to be happy, then we'll find a way that makes_ all _of us happy."_

" _But…" Yuuki said weakly, "what if Big Bro doesn't… want to go out with any of us?"_

 _I snorted. "Don't be stupid," I said, ignoring the way the other two's eyes flashed protectively at the minor insult. "Seriously, think about it. Yer bro's got a pret~ty clear type, y'know? There was one girl I know 'bout, Sachi, but hasn't yer bro shown any interest in girls other'n that?"_

 _Ran glanced at the other two. "There was that one classmate of his," she said. "The one that came over. Asada, right?"_

" _An' what color was her hair?" I asked patiently._

"… _Black," they chorused raggedly._

" _An' Sachi?"_

" _Black," they said again._

" _An all three 'a you?"_

 _They looked at each other almost in surprise._

" _I'm_ _pretty sure yer bro's into black-haired gals that're strong as he is," I said. "If his chats with the Lightnin' Flash are any indication."_

 _Yuuki nodded. "Yeah, Asuna said he liked girls that could fight with him and didn't have to be rescued. You think…?"_

" _That he was talkin' bout you three, even before he admits it to himself? Duh," I said. "So, yer fears at rest?"_

 _Leafa licked her lips. "What do we do?"_

 _I leaned forward and smirked, lacing my fingers in front of my face. "Now yer talkin'. Let's get down t' business, ladies. I have some ideas ya might be interested in."_

* * *

 **Surprise! It was a Simur – I mean an Argo plot all along.**

 **Basically my entire plan for this chapter was 'Argo is the best wingman' and then I just threw words at the page to see what stuck. I dunno, I like this Argo – manipulative, but in a supportive way and never does anything other than give advice when asked. I tried to keep to what little bits we've seen of her in canon, though that's not exactly hard, since, well, Best Girl doesn't show up nearly enough. (praise be to progressive for remembering she's like kirito's only friend)**

 **Also, you might notice this chapter is written slightly differently from the others. That's because I'm using my regular style instead of the more brisk Kirito style; I think it works better for Argo's perspective.**

 **(also i didn't fully intend it, but argo's apparently a huge fan of disney? who knew.)**

 **Anyway, this is the beginning of the… well, not climax (they haven't even had dinner yet) but the end of the story? It technically started last chapter with Silica, but that was mainly tying up loose ends. Here, we get the confession that our dumbass boy's been in love with his sisters for a while and all this *insert casual wave at the story* has been getting him to admit it to himself. Next chapter is also a date, and yes it's Kazuto and Best Twins Aiko and Yuuki, it's not another fakeout.**

 **Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

I tugged at the long sleeves of my shirt. "Argo, are you sure this looks good?"

My best friend rolled her eyes and fell back on the bed of the inn room we - or really she - was renting. "Ya look good, Kirito," she repeated. "But really, they'll like ya in anythin', long as ya can get it off quick enough."

I blushed. "Argo, it's not..." I let my protest trail off, because really, it _was_ like that.

I, Kazuto Kirigaya, was going on a date.

With my adopted sisters, Aiko and Yuuki Kirigaya.

I didn't realize I was pacing until Argo snorted and yanked on my arm. I jerked, catching my balance and reaching for my sword automatically, before realizing she was patting the side of the bed. Shaking my head, I took a seat next to her. "Yer pacin' was givin' me a headache," she said by way of explanation. "Calm yer shit, Kirito. Ya look fine, like I already said. Ten times."

"Sorry, Argo," I said. "It's just... I'm nervous, okay?"

"I hadn't guessed."

Her dry wit, normally funny, just made me look at her. "Hey, hey, no need for the Stare," she said, waving her hands. "Tch, it was a lot easier ta tease ya when we weren't face ta face..."

"Sorry about that," I apologized insincerely.

We looked at each other for a few seconds in silence, before Argo started snickering. Despite myself, I laughed too. "Better?" Argo asked me once we'd both calmed down. "Now that yer not flippin' yer shit, wanna tell yer Big Sis Argo what that was all about?"

I smiled faintly before falling back to stare at the ceiling of the room. Beside me, Argo sat cross-legged, watching me. "Is it... weird?" I asked her finally. "That I'm in love with my little sisters?"

"Well, a lil' bit, yeah," she said bluntly. I knew she'd say that, of course. "I can't think 'a _my_ sis like that. But they're not yer real sisters, ain't that what ya told 'em way back when this whole mess started?"

"Yeah... I mean, I didn't mean it _exactly_ like that, but I guess..."

Argo grinned at me. "Sure it's a lil' weird that yer into yer sisters, but hey, they're pretty, I can't blame ya on yer taste." I raised an eyebrow, and her grin became a smirk. "Hey, I got eyes."

"Maybe not for long," I said flatly.

"Kiddin', kiddin'," she said with an airy wave. "Wouldn't do that ta my bes' friend, obviously. I ain't that kinda gal. But yeah, back to my point, yer heart wants what it wants, Kirito. Jus'... let it, 'kay?"

I looked at her without sitting up. "But what if it doesn't work out? What if they decide they -"

Argo rolled her eyes. "Ya _really_ think that'll happen?"

"...No, but..."

She sighed. "Worst case scenario, they realize their feelin's were just a crush on the guy who's their big bro, an' they move on. They'll still be yer sisters, Kirito. That'll never change. Nothin' can change that. That bond? Pret~ty sure it's stronger than anythin' else in the world."

I grinned at her. She might act tough, but she was still the same Argo that dropped everything to give me advice when I asked for it. She'll call me an idiot, but she cared.

"Hey, Argo?" I asked after a few minutes. "Why?"

"Why what?"

I pushed myself up. "Why are you helping me? Why go through all this trouble?"

She grinned. "'Cause I like ta see things through ta th' end," she teased me. "Knowin' you, you'd probably just dive out the nearest window if I weren't here ta keep ya calm."

"I don't _always_ use windows," I protested. They were just usually a convenient way of getting out of a tight situation, that was all.

Argo snickered at me. "Anyway, that's not the real reason."

"Then what is?"

"I'm yer bes' friend, dummy," she said, flicking my forehead lightly. "'Course I'm gonna help ya. It's what best friends _do_. You'd help me if I was goin' on a date for the firs' time and felt nervous, wouldn't ya?"

I blinked. "Of course. ...Why, do you have someone in mind?"

"Nah," she said breezily. "But my point stands. We've been talkin' for years, Kirito, it wasn't hard ta figure out ya liked yer sisters."

My ears suddenly felt hot. "What are you -"

"Please," Argo snorted. "Everythin' ya said or did went back ta yer sisters sooner or later. 'Sorry Argo, I can't raid today, I'm going to see Sugu's kendo tournament.' 'Mind helping me with this English question, Argo? Yuuki asked about it and I'm not sure I told her the right answer.' 'It's hot out and my sisters aren't wearing clothes, and it makes me feel weird in my pants, please help.'"

I fidgeted. Those were all things I'd told her, more or less. Though, I didn't remember phrasing that last one _quite_ like that... "I guess you're right..." I finally agreed.

"I had ya pegged as a siscon for a while, actually," she said casually, as though it weren't surprising. "Looks like I was right again, huh?"

"I can still leave right now," I threatened. Her grin just widened mockingly before fading back to normal.

Before too much longer, it was almost two in the afternoon, the time when I had to head back to the house to meet with Aiko and Yuuki. Standing up, I tugged at my shirt one last time before turning to Argo. I said, "Thanks, Argo. I really owe you."

"Hang on a sec..." She bounced up off the bed and scrutinized me, before lightly running her hands through my hair. I held still, letting her work. "Bah, yer hair is just always gonna be messy," she sighed, shaking her head. "An' 's cool, Kirito. Ya don' owe me anythin'."

"Really, though, Argo," I insisted, "if there's anything I can do to pay you back for this -"

She lightly tapped my lips with her finger, grinning like a cat. "I told you already, ya don' owe me for doin' my job as yer best friend. But if yer conscience won't let ya sleep at night, just keep me in mind if you an' one 'a yer sisters ever want to have a threesome with only one sis, 'kay?"

I went bright red. "Argo!" I protested, over her teasing laughter. "Don't say things like that!"

Then I remembered what she said earlier, and Looked at her.

She stopped laughing. "H-Hey, Kirito, it was a joke," she said. "Ya don't need ta keep Starin'."

I just kept looking at her levelly.

"I'm sorry! Sorry! Just stop Starin' at me like that!" Argo exclaimed, flailing her arms while trying to hide from my eyes.

 _Huh. Who knew. Maybe my experience dealing with the girls was useful for handling Argo after all._

"Yeesh, you big brother types..." she muttered.

* * *

I stared. I swallowed, and tried to say something. Nothing came out.

"Eheheh!" Yuuki giggled, spinning in place. It didn't help. "Big Bro's speechless!"

Aiko nodded with a satisfied smile. "Good," she said. "That _was_ the point."

I'd returned to our home, ready to pick up the girls and go out, but what greeted me when I opened the door blew every thought from my mind.

At first I couldn't believe the girls standing at the entrance were the twins. Of course, there was nobody else they could be.

The first attack came from Yuuki; instead of her usual combat dress with the front split open for ease of movement, she'd gotten all dressed up in fancy casual clothes. She was wearing a low-cut black top with ruffles around her midriff that hugged her torso. She had a pleated pink skirt with a matching sleeveless jacket that bared her arms. She was wearing boots with thigh-high black stockings, a nod to her preference for more sporty clothes.

And then immediately behind her was the second blow. Aiko had tied her hair back into a ponytail with a red ribbon. She'd also changed her equipment for our date; she was wearing a wine-colored dress with yellow edging, that split at her midriff to reveal her thighs. The dress went up around her neck but left her shoulders bare. If it were just that I'd be worried about people seeing her, but she also had a purple jacket over it. It went around her arms, leaving the shoulders bare, and went down to about her upper thigh. Unlike her sister, Aiko wore open-toed sandals with just a little bit of a heel.

"I, I, I..." I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to restart my brain. I'd blue-screened. "I... You both look really pretty," I finally managed to say.

Aiko giggled and brushed some hair behind her shoulder. "Sugu helped us get ready," she said.

"Big Sis is really good at this stuff!" Yuuki added. "She helped us with our outfits and makeup and everything!"

I looked closer. Sure enough, I saw traces of makeup on both girls. _Not that they need it to look pretty..._

"Where's Sugu?" I asked. I didn't want to bring her up later - it would be awkward, talking about her while on a date with the twins - but I was curious.

"Don't worry," Aiko smiled. "She's going to be with Lisbeth for today. Something about grinding Blacksmithing, I think."

Once I knew I didn't have to worry about Sugu, I felt my shoulders relax a little bit. "That's good," I said. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Yuuki cheered, jumping up and raising a hand in the air in excitement. "Let's go!"

Since this was the twins' date, I let them choose where to go. Yuuki and Aiko had a twin telepathy moment where they just stared at each other for a few seconds, and then nodded. "We're going to Marten," Aiko told me.

I nodded and we headed for the Warp Gate. Ran looped her arm around my left, and Yuuki claimed my right hand, lacing her fingers between mine. It might have looked a little weird from the outside, but I didn't really mind when I saw their smiles.

Marten was the main town on Floor 57. It was a large city, with a lot of tall buildings built compactly. The alleyways were tight and narrow but could be navigated if a player was careful. More importantly, and for our purposes, it was also a fairly popular tourist attraction. There were a lot of restaurants lining the streets, and the main street through the city was lined with shops run by both NPCs and players.

"Hey, hey, Kirito," Ran said, turning and smiling at me. "How does this look?"

She'd picked out a necklace from one of the vendor's stalls - an NPC - and slipped it over her head. It dangled against her chest, glinting in the light. The pendant was a delicate whorl of silver and blue, the sapphire inside the silver cage glittering. "What are the stat buffs?" I asked her, staring at it.

Ran stared at me and pouted. "...It makes me look prettier." Then she sighed and shook her head fondly. "Idiot..."

I was confused - she seemed so excited at first, but then when I asked a simple question she switched immediately - but decided to just move on. "It does like nice, Ran," I told her. "Do you want it?"

"Buying me jewelry already," she purred, melting against my side. "How sweet."

I needed help. Looking around, I caught sight of Yuuki, who was happily examining a vendor's selection of swords, daggers, and other weapons. "Yuuki," I said, "you _know_ you don't need a new sword."

She grinned at me playfully. "Well yeah," she said, "but I still like looking, y'know? It's like being in a toy shop!"

Sometimes I worried about her. She was only twelve when all this started, after all.

The three of us drifted through the main street, window shopping. Really, the girls did the window shopping, while the few player shop-owners gave me the 'pitying boyfriend look of commiseration' I'd heard about. It was a new experience. In the end, the sun was just starting to get low in the sky when Yuuki brightened and tugged on my hand. "Over here, over here!" the younger girl said.

The stall she led us to was an NPC-run stall selling little chocolates. "Hi!" Yuuki said brightly to the woman standing at the stall. "Is there anything you need help with?"

A glowing question mark appeared over the NPC's head, and I made a small noise of comprehension. Beside me, Ran nodded. "Yuu was super excited for this quest," she whispered to me.

"I can see that," I whispered back. "How did you know it was here?"

"Argo told us."

"Of course..."

Meanwhile, Yuuki was chatting happily with the NPC. "So all you need is for us to beat up the bandits stealing your ingredients, right?" she asked.

The NPC nodded. "Please," she said. "If my shipments keep getting stolen, I won't be able to make my chocolates anymore."

"That'd be awful!" Yuuki cried. "Don't worry, we'll take care of him for ya! Right, Big Bro?"

"You got it, Yuuki," I said.

A window popped up with the quest confirmation. 'Defeat Roald the Bandit King' was our quest objective. It looked like just a simple boss quest, but the rewards for the quest were... I sighed and shook my head. "Yuuki, you just want the chocolate, don't you?"

"Eheheh," she giggled, sticking her tongue out at me and bonking the side of her head. "You caught me..."

I smiled. "Well, we're on a date, so let's go."

Yuuki let out a cheer while the older twin just shook her head. "And here I thought we'd make it through a day without fighting," Ran sighed, smiling all the same. "Well, we did plan this..."

...

"Mmm," Yuuki hummed, nibbling on her chocolate reward from the shop. "Mmm! Better than a real meal!"

I laughed helplessly as Ran said, "You can't only eat chocolate, Yuu, it's not healthy!"

"It is in here," Yuuki protested. "It restores my HP and everything!"

"Ran's right," I said, lightly tapping Yuuki on the forehead. She let out a little mewl of protest. "Anyway, it's dinner time, so don't ruin your dinner. Ran? You said you had something planned for dinner?"

Ran smiled. "I do. It's..." Humming to herself, she swiped open her menu.

As she studied the map, I couldn't help but look at her. The way she lightly nibbled at her lower lip, and the way she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear absently. The look of concentration on her face, and the way she took her duties so seriously.

And next to her, happily eating her chocolate treat was Yuuki, grinning at her twin sister with a small smudge of chocolate on her lips. The way she was always upbeat and ready to go on an adventure, or just have a lot of fun doing anything. The way she lived life to the fullest every day.

I couldn't believe it took me this long to realize how beautiful they were.

"Kirito?" Ran asked me, looking up. "Is something on my face?"

"No," I said with a smile, "but Yuuki has some chocolate on hers."

"Ah!" Yuuki exclaimed. "...Can you get it for me, Big Bro?"

Sighing, I dabbed my finger on the corner of her lips until the chocolate was gone. I absently licked the chocolate off my finger, saying, "Mm. That _is_ pretty good, Yuuki."

"I know, right?" Yuuki said.

Beside her, Ran was bright red for some reason, her eyes far away and a little clouded over. "Ran? The restaurant?" I reminded her.

She shook herself, blinking a few times and while her pink tongue swiped across her lips. "R-Right, the restaurant... It's this way."

I exchanged a glance with Yuuki, but neither of us knew what had rattled Ran.

The restaurant Ran led us to was an NPC-run restaurant with only a few other customers present, so we chose to sit at the corner table that sat four. I sat next to the window, with Yuuki to my right and Ran across from me. "How did you two set all this up?" I asked idly once we ordered our food.

Ran smiled. "Can't us girls have a _few_ secrets?"

"Argo, got it," I said. "I should have known."

"She knows a lot about you," Ran said. "And she clearly cares about you a lot."

"Yeah, I guess so," I said.

A comfortable silence fell around us. We were content just to be together, and conversation wasn't necessarily a part of it.

Eventually, I asked them, "Do you ever wonder about the future?"

"The future?" both twins asked together.

"Like, where we'll be in a few years," I said.

Yuuki shook her head. "Nuh uh! I know where I'll be. Right next to you, Big Bro!"

Ran smiled at Yuuki and said, "I agree with Yuu, Kirito. But I know what you were asking. Hmm... I wonder about it now and then. We've been trapped in this game for so long, it kinda feels like home a little bit, right?"

I nodded. "Even though I know it's the virtual world, it's not like this one's fake, either. They're both real. And maybe there are things that are a little bit more real here than out there."

"Not your feelings for us, I hope," Ran teased gently as the food arrived.

I blushed. "Th-this topic is a little heavy for dinner," I said hurriedly. "We should eat."

Ran just smirked at me.

During dinner, the twins insisted on taking turns feeding me. "Say ah, Kirito," Ran said, offering me a fork. I obliged her, and she placed the fork in my mouth.

While I chewed, idly trying to figure out how many bites she'd given me compared to how many she'd taken and whether it was a one-to-one ratio, I scooped up a bite of my own food and offered it to her. She smiled prettily and leaned forward, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she closed her lips around the spoon.

I tried to pull it back after a few seconds. Ran just smirked at me, refusing to let go, even after swallowing the spoonful of soup. When I grabbed her spoon in retaliation, she didn't seem too upset.

...

"That was a lot of fun," Yuuki said, spinning around as we returned home.

I closed the door behind me. "It really was," I said.

Aiko stretched, kicking off her shoes before swiping open her menu to store them away safely. Yuuki and I did the same before the three of us migrated to the living room. The twins cuddled on the couch, Yuuki resting against Aiko's side, and I took the chair.

As one, we let out a sigh of contentment.

"Hey, Kazuto?" Aiko asked quietly.

I looked up at her to see her staring at me. Yuuki was watching me as well.

"We really do love you," she said. "Both of us. You gave us... gave us hope. When I try to remember those days back in the hospital, it's fuzzy, but... I know Yuu and I both remember feeling safe and warm, every night. And then, once we learned... or remembered, actually, I guess," she giggled, "that we weren't your real sisters, those feelings just... became something more."

Yuuki squirmed until she could sit up and smile at me. "I love you, Big Bro!" she said earnestly. "More than anything else in the world!" She tilted her head and _Smiled_. "That's enough, right?"

I stared at the twins, and both of them stared back at me.

"It... it is," I said. "I never realized how much... you girls meant to me until very recently, and I was kinda worried for a little bit. But the date today, seeing you have so much fun... I can't choose," I said. "I can't choose just one of you."

"Then don't!" Yuuki said brightly.

I stared at her.

"We're willing to share," she continued. "Right, Sis?"

Aiko smiled and placed her arm around Yuuki's shoulders. "Yuu's right, Kazuto. So, if you'll have us..."

She trailed off, and I looked back and forth between the two of them. "Okay," I finally said. "I think I'm ready to take the next step."

 _We've gone on a date, and I think I'm comfortable calling... both of them my girlfriends. It's strange, but as long as they're happy, that's what matters._

"Really?" Yuuki asked me, eyes sparkling. "You're not just saying that?"

"Really," I said.

"Yes!" she cheered. "Sis, I'm going up, 'kay?" Without waiting for Aiko's response, the younger twin scrambled off the couch and out of the room. A few seconds later, I heard her hurrying up the stairs.

I looked at Aiko for an explanation as for what made Yuuki so happy, but the older twin just smiled and reached out for my hand. "It's a good thing Sugu's staying with Liz," she said as we went upstairs.

"Why's that?"

We stepped into the twins' room and I froze, staring at Yuuki.

She wasn't wearing any clothes except her underwear.

"Well?" Aiko breathed into my ear, the jingling of her menu clueing me in to what she was doing behind me even before her warm body pressed against my back. "Aren't you a little bit overdressed, Kazuto?"

"I... I..." I croaked. I swallowed, because my mouth had suddenly gone dry. It didn't help. "I... What are you doing?"

"You said you wanted to take the next step, right?" Yuuki asked, clasping her hands in front of her. "So we're getting ready!"

 _I just wanted to make our relationship official... Not the, uh, other thing..._

 _...Well, we've come this far, and this is all the virtual world anyway, so I guess it won't hurt..._

* * *

I had shrugged on my shirt and was staring out the window when I heard one of the girls stirring. I glanced back and smiled to see Aiko rubbing her eyes blearily, not even bothering to use the sheets to cover herself up. "Hey," I said quietly. It was the middle of the night, and Yuuki was still asleep.

"Mmnyah..." Yuuki mumbled in her sleep. "Big Bro? Come back to bed..."

Aiko smiled at her sister and stroked the younger twin's hair a little bit before looking back up at me. "She's right," she mumbled. "Go back to sleep."

I smiled at her and nodded. "In a little bit."

Blinking at me, Aiko laid her head back down and snuggled next to Yuuki, quickly falling back asleep. I went back to staring out the window. I'd told them I couldn't choose just one of the twins, but it was more than just choosing between the two of them.

I loved the twins, but I loved Sugu too.

* * *

 ***little fanfare noises***

 **The first half of this chapter was mostly just to have some more Best Girl, so I'm not apologizing. Plus, Argo and Kirito are best friends, so she doesn't mind helping him out. In regards to Argo's feelings re: our favorite dumb boy, it's just best friends. She never considered him as a romantic partner – hard to do when he thinks you're a guy, after all.**

 **After that, we move on to the date, where I just wanted to show the three of them having fun. Aiko chose the first half (the wandering through town part – as shameless as she is, she still wanted a romantic-style day on the town) and Yuuki chose the second half (the quest resulting in apparently delicious chocolate). Then, dinner. And then home.**

 **(alternate title of the chapter, if it actually had one: "In Which Kazuto and the Twins have the Best Wingwomen")**

 **Finally, the silly boy admitted how he truly feels to the twins. They're appropriately ecstatic, and show it to him. Several times.**

 **And, since this is still FFN and not, say, QQ, keep the reviews PG, okay? (they're under 16)**

 **Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or left a review.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * *

Like usual, I woke up all at once.

Unlike usual, I wasn't alone in my bed. Soft warm bodies were pressed against me on either side, one to my front and one to my back. My arms were wrapped around the person in front of me, holding them against my chest, while my legs were being held down by the body behind me.

I was incredibly confused until I cracked my eyes open. Immediately, I was greeted by a pair of warm grey eyes staring back at me.

Yuuki poked my nose. "Boop!" she giggled. "Morning, Big Bro!"

"Good morning, Yuuki," I whispered.

She moved to the side and let me move my right arm from under her before snuggling closer to me again. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw long black hair draped over Aiko's bare torso, thankfully obscuring anything more from view. If it hadn't, Yuuki might have been poked back.

Instead, I felt my heart twist. I'd... I'd confessed my feelings to Aiko and Yuuki, and they'd brought me upstairs to their room, which explained why the bed smelled like them. But, at the same time... What about Sugu? I loved her too, but last night... Last night, I'd...

What would I do? I couldn't just give her up, not before I'd had a chance to tell her how I felt. But I couldn't betray the twins by going to Sugu. Not after what we'd shared last night.

I must have woken Aiko up by shifting, because I felt the bed move behind me. "Mmm..." she moaned as she woke up. Unlike me and Yuuki, Aiko always took a while to fully wake up. "Kazuto...?"

"Yeah?" I asked, rolling onto my back to look at her. I tried to ignore the conflicting thoughts inside.

She blinked up at me blearily, eyes studying my face, before she smiled. "I really enjoyed last night," she purred, blankets pooling around her.

I averted my eyes out of habit - but that just meant I was staring at Yuuki instead, the younger twin sitting up in bed unashamedly. "C-Could you put some clothes on?" I stammered.

Aiko giggled. "You didn't seem to feel that way last night," she said, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and tracing meaningless patterns on my shirt. The sudden contact just made my indecision worse. I really liked how it felt, but at the same time...

"Huh?" Yuuki mumbled, looking at me. "Something wrong, Big Bro? You seem upset..."

Blinking, I said, "Wh-what are you talking about, Yuuki? Nothing's wrong..."

Behind me, Aiko hummed quietly. "Yuu, could you put Phase One of the operation into action?"

"Okay!" Yuuki chirped, before giggling as she burrowed under my arm and snuggled next to me. I automatically put my arms around her, and the simple action calmed me down more than I thought it would. Behind me, Aiko's embrace tightened.

"I'm pretty sure I know what you're thinking, Kazuto," Aiko said softly. "You love us, but you also love Sugu too, right?" My back stiffened. "Hmm, she was right after all. Of course..." Aiko sighed. "Kazuto, can I ask you something, and have you answer it seriously?"

I swallowed. "Of course," I said.

Even though I couldn't see it, I could feel Aiko smile. "Oh, good," she said. "So, this whole situation... It's a little unusual, isn't it?"

"Only a little?" I asked. "We've been trapped in a death game for almost two years, now, and I'm in love with my sisters. What part of this _isn't_ unusual?"

Aiko giggled. "You have a point. But, that's _my_ point. Everything here is already unusual, so it's fine if our relationship is a little unusual as well. What's one more thing, really?"

I stayed silent. That wasn't what was bothering me, and I was pretty sure Aiko knew. Still, I found myself absently rubbing Yuuki's shoulders, since she still hadn't moved from her snuggling position.

"We know you love us, Kazuto," Aiko said. "You showed that pretty well last night." My ears felt a little hot as the older twin laughed quietly, right next to my ear. "And really, it's okay, since we're not _really_ your little sisters. We're adopted, and Sugu is your cousin. Everything is legal."

I sighed. "Now you're starting to sound like Mom," I said. "Are you going to offer to do the paperwork next?"

"I think that's a conversation we'll need to save for a little bit later," Aiko said. "Anyway, like I was going to say, it's okay to date us, right? And we're willing to share." She trailed off, leaning her chin on my shoulder. Eventually, she said, "So what's one more person?"

My eyes widened. "Aiko... You can't be serious. The four of us, in a relationship together?"

Meanwhile, Yuuki was doing her best to fuse to my side, humming happily all the while.

"It'll be a lot of work," Aiko admitted. "But... I mean, you're okay with it, right?" Her voice, previously confident, suddenly betrayed nervousness. "A-After all, you were okay when it was us..."

Thoughts started swirling around in my head again. _All four of us? Would it work? But I love all three of them, I can't_ _just_ choose _between Sugu or the twins... And she's got a point, I was fine dating both of the twins... Aah, I just don't -_

As if sensing my turmoil, Yuuki squeezed me just a little tighter. Automatically, I started stroking her hair, earning a cheerful giggle from the girl.

 _...No, Aiko's right. If this is the way we can all be happy... Still, I want to make sure._

"And you're sure about this?" I asked Aiko and Yuuki both. "You're not just making this offer because you feel guilty about leaving Sugu out, or making it a competition?"

Aiko laughed. "Why do you think she let us go first?"

I blinked.

Yuuki snuggled against me.

"Wait, _Sugu_ planned all this?" I asked, dumbfounded. _Then again, that_ is _like her..._

"Uh huh," Aiko said. "She said it was fine if the two of us went first, so we could get you used to the idea of multiple partners." With a giggle, Aiko pressed a few butterfly kisses to my cheek, dotting them closer to my mouth. The last one touched the corner of my lips. "We're doing this because we want to, Kazuto," she told me.

"If you're sure," I sighed, "then alright."

"Hooray!" Yuuki cheered, letting go of me.

Aiko laughed. "Operation 'Yuu Hugs to Keep Kazuto Calm' worked, Yuu!"

The two of them high-fived. I just shook my head and stood up to go take a bath. I needed one, if I was going to go see Sugu later.

"We're heading off to Liz's, Big Bro," Yuuki called out a little bit later, after I'd gotten out of the bath and was getting dressed. "See ya later!"

"Later," I called back, just before the door closed behind them. Then, I sat down and sent a message to Argo asking for more help.

* * *

"Man, Kirito," Argo laughed, like I knew she would. "Yer really movin' fast, ain't ya? Ya already got the twins, an' now yer gunnin' for yer cousin?"

"Shut up, Argo," I said. The words rolled off my tongue with familiarity. "Just help me get ready?"

"Sure, sure," she snickered. "Whatcha thinkin'? Somethin' fancy like yesterday, or..."

I thought back over Sugu. What she liked, what she didn't like, what she found fun... "No," I said thoughtfully, "probably not. Clothes that can take a beating."

Argo hummed. "'Kay, sure. Show me what ya got, then, an' yer best buddy Argo will sort ya out."

As my best friend went over the casual clothes I owned - all of them courtesy of my sisters when they dragged me along to different boutiques in-game with them - I said, "Hey, Argo?"

"Mm?" Argo glanced at me, then at the shirt she was holding, and then shook her head.

"Thank you," I said sincerely. Everything else had already been said.

She grinned. "'Course," she said, just as sincerely. "Now, put this on. I'm sure Sugu'll love it!"

I frowned at her. "Argo, those are _your_ clothes."

"So?"

"...It's a skirt."

Her Cheshire grin just widened. "...So? It matches yer eyes perfectly. You'd look really cute~!"

"So I'm not wearing that!"

Argo tried to convince me, even going so far as to pout at me, but I'd become hard from years of exposure to Yuuki's Pouts. "Fine, ya big buzzkill," she muttered finally, before grabbing one of my shirts and tossing it to me, along with a pair of pants. "Here. An' of course, it's black, just like ya like it."

I shrugged. "Black is my color," I said.

"Wouldn't kill ya to branch out a bit."

I glanced at her. "You think whiskers are a fashion statement. Remind me why I go to you for advice on what to wear?" The familiar banter put my mind at ease, which was probably why Argo had started it.

She shrugged elaborately. "'Cause I'm yer best friend, an' th' only girl ya know who hasn't tried gettin' inta yer pants?"

"No, it's just been the other way around this whole time," I muttered, pulling the shirt over my head. Argo snickered, but didn't reply. I still couldn't figure out why she kept trying to get me to wear a skirt. Had my sisters gotten her in on the game?

Fifteen minutes later, I received a message from Aiko, telling me to come to Liz's blacksmith shop. I said goodbye to Argo, suffering through an ambush goodbye hug after I turned my back, and made my way down to the Warp Gate.

When I reached Liz's shop, the sign was flipped to 'closed'. That didn't stop me from opening the door anyway. I entered, and was greeted by Liz herself, the pink-haired blacksmith standing behind the counter. "Kirito," she said, oddly serious.

"Hey, Liz," I replied.

"Your sister's upstairs with the twins," she said, jerking a thumb towards the back door. "She'll be down in a minute, I just wanted to talk to you first."

Approaching her, I asked, "What about?"

She looked up at me, and finally went around the counter and gave me a hug. "Take care of her, okay?" she mumbled into my shoulder. Her voice was a little wet. "Make sure she's happy. Make sure _both_ of you are happy."

"Of course I will," I said without hesitation.

"You'd better," Liz told me.

She pulled away, and I politely looked away as she wiped at her eyes. "Okay," she finally declared, and I looked back. Her voice was back to normal. "I'll go get her so you two lovebirds can have some fun."

When Liz came back down, I could hear footsteps on the stairs behind her, but Liz stood in front of the doorway, blocking my view. "Dun da-da-daaa!" she announced cheerfully, making an elaborate gesture. "The maiden arrives!"

"Liz!" Leafa protested, though she was still laughing. "Let me through!"

Grinning, Liz stepped to the side and I saw -

 _...Oh wow._

I realized my mouth had dropped open when Leafa gently pushed it closed with her finger. "I think that means I look good?" she asked me.

"Y-yeah," I said, remember to use words. "You look beautiful."

Her cheeks colored from the compliment.

It wasn't made-up, either. She was wearing a low-cut red sweater that left her shoulders bare, showing the black straps of the sports bra she was wearing underneath. I noticed she was wearing shorts, a small gap of tantalizing bare skin between where the shorts cut off and where her stockings reached up to. Finally, she was wearing comfortable-looking boots. I recognized the clothes, of course; the outfit was similar to what she liked to wear when preparing for a competition but couldn't wear her regular kendo practice gear.

I looked at her eyes, since they seemed brighter than usual, and realized that she'd applied a little makeup as well. _Oh yeah, Yuuki and Aiko said Sugu helped them yesterday, so I guess she'd know how..._

"C'mon," Leafa said, holding her hand out. "Let's go. There's somewhere I want to go, okay?"

I smiled at her and took her hand in mine. Our fingers laced together. "Lead the way."

As it turned out, Leafa only had one destination in mind for our date, a training dojo on Floor 1. I stepped inside and looked around. "Nobody's here," I said.

Sugu nodded. "I didn't think anyone would be," she said. "That's what made it perfect for what I had in mind. Hey, catch."

I looked over just in time to catch the wooden sword she tossed to me. "It's light," I said, lifting it.

Sugu smiled. "It's not what you're used to, but the length should be about the same." It was. "I wanted... I wanted a match. One-on-one, just like we used to back when Grandfather was training us."

Taking a deep breath, I looked at her. "Are you sure?" I asked.

She nodded once. "It's something Yuuki said, once, actually," she said. "Sometimes the best way to get your feelings across is to fight. And I want you to know how I feel, Kazuto." Sugu smiled at me. "This is the best way I could think of, actually."

There was no way I could turn her down, after she said something like that. I swung the wooden practice sword in my hand a few times, and then said, "Alright."

We took up positions opposite each other. My eyes narrowed as I breathed in and out slowly. These swords were designed for practicing Sword Skills, so even if we got into the stance for one the Skill wouldn't execute. At most, the blade would start glowing and a small bell would chime.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Ready," Sugu replied.

She held her wooden sword like her katana, directly in front of her. She took a few steps forward, but I didn't move.

When I didn't flinch, she hesitated.

I took the opening given to me and shot forward, keeping my body and sword low to the ground. I swiped my sword at her face with a shout and Sugu leaned back, letting it pass in front of her. I slashed again as I stepped back, but didn't connect. Crouching, I pushed off and slashed -

\- but Sugu shouted as she swung her own sword down, and I twisted to let it go by me. She swung again, twisting the sword to slash at my neck, and I brought my blade up to parry it. The wooden swords clacked together and I stepped, letting her momentum carry her by me.

I leveled my sword at her as she arrested her momentum and turned, facing me. My eyes were locked on her body, watching for any movement that would give away her next strike.

She stepped back, eyes hard, and I saw the kendo national semifinalist across from me.

With a shout Sugu closed in again, sword slashing down, and I batted the sword to the side with my weapon before swinging at her, putting my weight into it. It clacked off of Sugu's hastily-raised blade, and I stepped to the side, turning with her.

"Hyaah!" Sugu shouted, swinging her wooden sword in a strong combo move; she sliced up, then twisted the blade when I dodged to the side and cut down. When I was forced to parry that, our wooden swords clacking together, she pivoted her foot and thrust forward with the blunt tip of the sword.

I barely managed to get my head out of the way. I recognized the movement of her sword, and the stance she'd taken as the Katana Sword Skill Scarlet Fan, which was why I was able to dodge it. Smiling, I laughed as Sugu backed away hurriedly. "My turn," I said, before I lunged.

Sugu gasped as I crossed the distance between us faster than she expected. The tip of my sword was aimed squarely at her chest, and as I thrust she barely managed to raise her sword, knocking my thrust away. "Fast!" she gasped. I spun with the block, swinging my sword down in a diagonal slash -

\- just as Sugu attacked. Our blades met as we clashed. I gritted my teeth, trying to overpower her, but in here our strength was more or less equal.

As if by some unseen signal, we both jumped away at the same time.

This was it. The last strike. I knew that this next attack would be the end.

With a shout, I lunged forward -

\- and Sugu did the same -

\- and I made my decision. The wooden sword slipped from my hands, clattering to the ground as I let go and braced for the strike that would win Sugu the duel.

I didn't expect to hear another clatter with only a few milliseconds between the first, and to feel arms wrap around me as Sugu hugged me.

Still, I put my arms around her, slowly rocking back and forth. It was almost like we were dancing in place to music only we could hear. "What are you doing?" I asked her.

She laughed quietly, pressing her face against my shoulder. "I was going to throw the duel," she admitted. "What about you?"

"Same here," I said. "I know how much this date means to you, and I wanted you to, um..."

She giggled. "I thought so," she said.

"Um... what about the duel?"

"I got what I wanted," she said, voice muffled by my shirt. "I'm happy just like this. Knowing you care about me the same way I care about you... I can fight by your side, now."

I leaned over and kissed the crown of her head. "Let's go home," I said quietly.

After all, it wasn't fair if it was just the twins, right?

Sugu went bright red and her grip around me tightened when I told her that, but she nodded shyly anyway.

Almost as soon as we got home, Sugu snatched her hand out of mine. "I-I'll go up ahead!" she stammered, hurrying for the stairs. "Come up in a minute, okay, Kazuto?"

"Okay," I said.

I sent a quick message to the twins, letting them know not to come home tonight.

I got a cheer from Yuuki in response, and a reply from Aiko. The older twin had expected this, and had already arranged to stay with Asuna for the night. Yuuki had been appropriately ecstatic.

Both of them signed their message with a little heart.

After a second of consideration, I sent a heart back to each of them, and then headed upstairs to see if Sugu was ready.

When I knocked on the door, her hesitant voice replied, "C-come in, Kazuto!"

I pushed the door open and stopped in my tracks, staring at the sight. Sugu had, while I was talking to Aiko and Yuuki, gotten changed out of her date clothes and into thin lacy pajamas that she _very clearly_ wasn't wearing underwear with. She was just sitting on the bed, watching me, but she was _beautiful_.

I swallowed. "O-Okay," I said, closing the door behind me. Sugu's cheeks were scarlet, but she rose to meet me as I stepped forward.

Our lips met for the first time, and she moaned happily.

We broke for air after a few seconds, and I mumbled, "Wow..."

"I-I practiced," she admitted shyly. "Liz helped."

"You're amazing," I told her, admiring the way the blush creeped down her neck. I lightly pressed my lips against the flush skin, and she squealed.

"Ah! K-Kazuto, what about the - ah! - the twins?"

"Staying with Asuna," I said. "So we have the house to ourselves toni-"

She captured my lips in another kiss, and we tumbled onto the bed together.

* * *

 **Hooray, that's the hat trick!**

 **Y'know, it's weird. I spend so long trying to get these useless siblings to cooperate with me, and then I just glance at Argo, and she delivers. She wasn't even supposed to** _ **be**_ **in this chapter, and then she just decided to show up.**

 **I also have this mental image of Aiko trying so hard to be mature and confident, but then she's just a giant dork underneath it all. (for example, she's the one who came up the operation name early in the chapter.) But, in the end, she loves Kazuto, and she loves her sisters, and she wants everyone to be happy.**

 **Meanwhile Yuuki's just enjoying her snuggle time with her Big Bro.**

 **Anyway, yes, Sugu gets her date this time, it's just a simple sparring match. Remember, she threw herself into kendo because she was protecting Kazuto, which was her major thing in this story – she wanted to make sure she was strong enough to fight with him. The duel was a draw (though because they both threw the duel, because reasons) and then fun times happened.**

 **I'm happy for Best Imouto. (just remember that she, like Yuuki and Aiko, is under 16.)**

 **Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or left a review.**

 **(next chapter's the last one, folks, so buckle up. it's time for the 'fourth arc' (in scare quotes because it's just one chapter), "Logging Out")**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

* * *

I woke up easily, slowly working my way to alertness. Even when I was fully awake, though, I didn't bother trying to move. I could tell from the feeling alone that I wouldn't be able to go anywhere.

To my left, curled against my back and judging by the position of my shirt clutching a handful of the cloth, Yuuki was still snoozing away. I could feel her soft regular breaths tickling my neck; not enough to make me uncomfortable, but just enough to let me know she was still there.

In front of me was Sugu. Like her little sister she was still asleep. I blushed a little bit as I realized I was staring straight at her chest, but that wasn't really my fault. We'd fallen asleep last night with my arms around her, and I guess during the night she'd rolled over. She smelled really nice...

I blinked, and looked around. The bed only fit three people if they cuddled _really_ close, and I couldn't see Aiko anywhere. Still, I didn't think the older twin would be the type to just miss out on a cuddling session... I carefully freed my left arm and raised the sheets, trying not to disturb Sugu or Yuuki.

Sure enough, Aiko was sprawled out across the three of us, somehow comfortable despite half of her body being draped over my legs and the other half smushed against Yuuki.

The girl stirred as I watched her, and blearily opened her eyes. "Mmm," Aiko mumbled quietly. "Morning, Kazuto..." With a sleepy smile, she wormed her way up and pressed a kiss to my cheek. "I had fun last night..."

I tried to remember what exactly had happened last night, my memories still a little fogged by sleep...

...

 _The four of us were sitting around in our living room. I was busy doing temporary maintenance on my sword - I'd need to visit Liz soon to get it repaired correctly, but just using the Whetstone item would serve for now - while the girls were doing their own thing. Sugu and Yuuki were sitting by the heater, gossiping quietly, and Aiko..._

 _"Kazuto~," Aiko called out playfully._

 _...and Aiko was holding a book, looking at me upside down. I recognized the look in her eyes. It was the same one I'd seen two days ago, just before the twins and I, ah..._

 _"What?" I asked her._

 _She lowered her book, revealing an impish smile that had more than a trace of desire. "You and Sugu had your fun alone last night," she purred. "Tonight, I don't think it's fair for me and Yuu to get left out again..."_

W-wait, she's thinking... all four of us?!

...

...only to blush when I finally remembered what the four of us did the night before. "So did I," I said, patting her head. Aiko giggled, letting me tousle her hair for a few seconds.

It was the perfect way to wake up in the mornings -

\- before it was promptly ruined by the bedroom door slamming open. "Ack!" Yuuki exclaimed, popping up blearily. Her short hair was messy, sticking up in weird directions. The strand of hair that usually stood up had multiplied! "Wha? Big Bro? What's going on?"

Somehow, Sugu was still asleep, and as I sat up she mewled in her sleep and curled up tighter, seeking the warm spot.

"Argo," I sighed, staring at the intruder, "what are you doing."

My best friend glanced over the girls and me - I was wearing a shirt, fortunately, and Aiko had ducked back under the covers, dragging Yuuki with her so they could get dressed - before sighing. "C'mon," she moaned, "is it too much ta ask for a lil' eye-candy?"

"Argo."

"Yeesh," she muttered.

I frowned. "How are you even here, anyway?" I asked. "The front door was locked."

Argo shrugged. "Don't worry about it." I had my suspicions, and looked at Aiko, who'd just squirmed back up, wearing her nightdress. She just looked at me innocently, batting her eyelashes. I swear... "Anyway, sorry ta interrupt yer honeymoon, but we got trouble."

Immediately all thoughts of who was responsible for giving Argo access to our house disappeared from my mind. "What's happening?" I asked.

"They found the Floor 75 Boss, an' the KoB are callin' in everyone that can fight. By the way, that's 10 col for the info," Argo said, swiping open her menu and opening a trade window with me. As I put in the small amount of money to pay for the information, she nodded. "Thanks, Kirito," she said. "They're meetin' in the main city, at around noon, so ya got a few hours ta do yer shoppin' before headin' out."

As Argo turned to leave, I sighed. "This couldn't have waited until we got up? You really had to come in?"

Argo looked over her shoulder at me and grinned smugly. "Nah, but this way I got ta have some fun," she said impishly. "Later, Kirito, don' forget ta sell me the scoop about the boss, 'kay?" With a cheery wave, she slipped out of the door.

I watched silently as the door closed behind her, sadly used to Hurricane Argo by this point. "Guess our vacation's over," I said to the twins.

"Hooray," Yuuki said, breaking off into a yawn. "I don't know about you, Big Bro, but I'm ready for a fight."

"Not like that you're not, Yuu," Aiko said. "C'mon, let's go get dressed and I'll brush your hair. Honestly, sleepyhead..." she sighed, dragging her twin sister with her.

I leaned over and prodded Sugu. "Sugu," I whispered gently, "c'mon, wake up."

She mumbled in her sleep.

"Sugu, it's time for breakfast."

"Five more minuzz..." she mumbled.

Sighing, I unleashed my strongest attack - pinching her cheek and tugging on it gently. Sugu grumbled, before slowly opening her eyes. "Oh, hey..." she mumbled, looking up at me with a loving smile. "Morning..."

"Rise and shine," I said to her. "Hey, sleepy."

She pushed herself up, looking around. "Where are the twins?" she asked, yawning and rubbing her eyes. "I know I remember them here last night..."

"Getting dressed in their room," I said. "We have to get ready for a boss raid."

Sugu's eyes snapped open, and she jerked upright. "Ack! Why didn't you wake me earlier!" she protested. "I have... I'm... Gotta go get dressed!" she said, getting out of bed and hurrying away.

I did enjoy watching her leave. Still, she's as weird as ever. That won't ever change, I guess.

Eventually all of us were ready to go, but before we left the house I hesitated. This was a checkpoint boss, and the Floor 75 boss on top of that. The danger we were about to face had never been higher. I knew that if any of us were to d... that if any one of us didn't come back, then the rest would be devastated.

For a second, the urge to ask the girls to stay behind rose in me, and I almost asked them without thinking, before Yuuki hugged me from behind, giggling. "I'm really excited, Big Bro!" she said, nuzzling against my back.

I staggered under her weight, before catching myself and looking back at her. "Alright, alright," I laughed. All thoughts of asking them to stay behind disappeared under Yuuki's sunny expression. "The meeting time isn't long now, so we should get going if we want to get Liz to repair our equipment first. Everyone ready?"

"Yeah!" Sugu, Aiko, and Yuuki cheered.

 _I have to make sure they're all safe. No matter what, I'll make sure they stay alive!_

...

The first person to greet us when the four of us arrived in Collinia, the main city of Floor 75, made things a bit awkward. "Hey... Asuna..." I said.

Naturally, Yuuki didn't care about the awkwardness. "Asuna!" she cheered, throwing herself forward and wrapping the Knights of the Blood sub-commander in a huge hug. "Hi!"

"Hi, Yuuki," Asuna said with a patient smile.

"Um..." I said, scratching my cheek, "Thanks for letting Yuuki and Aiko stay with you a few nights ago."

"It's... fine," she said slowly, looking me up and down. I glanced at my own equipment; it was my usual black coat, with the hilt of my sword poking over my shoulder. Finally, she smiled. "It looks like you're doing well."

"I am," I said. "We all are."

Asuna's expression shifted, but she didn't stop smiling. "I see," she said simply. "I'm happy for you."

"Awkward," Leafa whispered to Ran.

Ran whispered back, "No kidding."

Yuuki, once again, came to our rescue. "Hey, hey, Asuna," she said, "are you excited?"

Asuna smiled at Yuuki. "A little nervous," she said, "but it's going to be another milestone to our freedom."

The two of them kept chatting for a little bit, while Leafa, Ran and I went off by ourselves. Eventually, Yuuki joined back up with us, and it wasn't long after that when the Warp Gate lit up again. We turned to look as Heathcliff strode regally out of the gate, flanked by two members of the KoB.

The leader of the largest guild passed through the crowd of players as we parted automatically for him, before stopping on the other side of the group. "Corridor, open," he declared, lifting a Corridor Crystal in front of him. "Now," he said, turning around, "here we go."

My sisters and I were near the end of line going through the portal. As I stepped through, my surroundings shifting from the sunny town to the gloomy dungeon, I shivered. There was something eerie about the stone pillars surrounding us, and the ornate door seemed to be staring down at me. I felt a hand slip into mine, and I looked over to see Leafa standing next to me. "Spooky," she said.

"Yeah," I murmured back, squeezing her hand. The twins stood next to me, rubbing their shoulders together for comfort.

At the front, right in front of the boss door, Heathcliff slammed his tower shield down on the ground, catching every gamer's attention. "Everyone, are you ready?" he asked, his voice ringing out. "The Knights of the Blood will be out in front, distracting the boss and blocking its attacks. In the mean time..."

I noticed Yuuki watching Heathcliff intently, all her focus on him, and I nudged her. She jumped, startled, and tilted her head at me. "What's up?" I asked her.

"Nothin'," she said. "It's just... Something weird's bugging me about Heathcliff..."

"What?"

Yuuki shook her head. "I'm not really sure," she said, before grinning sunnily at me. "Probably nothing!"

I grinned and patted her head, the way she liked. She giggled. "Well, keep it in mind," I told her, "it might come to you later. For right now, though, you have to focus."

"Yes sir!" she chirped.

Up front, Heathcliff shouted, "For our day of liberation!"

The players cheered loudly, rattling their swords and shields.

 _...We're going in there blind, and I don't know if my sisters will -_

Leafa kissed my cheek lightly. "Don't worry," she said. "Nothing's going to happen to any of us, I promise. I'll make sure of it. So you have to try too, okay?"

I grinned at her, and squeezed her hand once before letting go and drawing my sword with a ring of steel. "Yeah," I said. "Everyone ready?"

"Yeah!" the girls cheered.

* * *

For the first time in two years, my eyes opened and I looked at the real world.

I stared up at the fluorescent lights above me uncomprehendingly for a few seconds, blinking slowly. I looked left and right, seeing light streaming into the room through a window on my right. To my left, the door was firmly shut. There was a bed to my left, someone else lying under a thin blanket.

 _A hospital... I'm in a hospital..._

I raised a hand in front of my face, seeing it shake with the unexpected effort. It didn't look like my hand; it was thin and skeletal, with grown-out fingernails. My sisters always insisted I keep my nails shorter, so it felt like I was watching someone else's hand attached to my arm, moving when I tried to turn it over.

But it was still my hand. When I reached up to my head, my fingers brushed cold plastic, and I realized I was still wearing the NerveGear. It was humming with power.

 _I need to find my family..._

As the whir and hum of the NerveGear died away, finally shutting down, I struggled to sit up. With shaking hands, I undid the clasp holding the helmet on my head and tugged it away. Black hair tumbled in front of my eyes and onto my shoulders; my hair had grown pretty long in two years.

All I wanted to do was to stand up and start looking for my sisters, but just the act of sitting up and taking off the NerveGear had exhausted me. I could only sit and stare at the helmet in my lap - scratched, and worn. It looked a little bit like I felt.

A feminine groan came from the bed to my left, and my breath caught in my chest. I recognized that groan. I heard it every morning for the last two years, when it was time for Sugu to wake up. She never could just open her eyes; they'd always flutter open, and then she'd grumble quietly before squeezing them shut and rolling over, trying to go back to sleep.

"Sugu..." my cracked voice whispered, surprising me. It had deepened while I was asleep.

In the bed beside me, my cousin stirred and turned her head. "Kazu...to..." she whispered back. I saw a few tears drip down her cheek. "We're... home..."

I smiled at her, heedless of the way her face seemed to blur in my sights.

 _I've found Sugu... Now, I need to find the rest of my family. Yuuki is in BIG trouble. Attacking Heathcliff like that, even if he_ was _Kayaba, without telling us what she was planning?_

...

It was shaping up to be a nice afternoon. I'd spent the morning in the gym doing rehab, and so the rest of the day was dedicated towards relaxing and letting my taxed muscles rest. I'd managed to walk there and back without needing to rest on my crutches, too. Argo was going to be totally furious when she found out I made the walk before her.

Yep, this was a nice day, and nothing was going to disturb my nap on the couch until dinner was -

A somewhat heavy weight decided to land square on my center. "Oof," I grunted, the wind rushing out of me, and cracked an eye open to look at my sister as she mounted me.

"~Big Bro~! It's time to get up!"

"Yuuki," I grumbled. "Why are you... No. Aiko, why is Yuuki trying to do the mounted wakeup call?" I asked, tilting until I was looking at the older twin upside-down.

Aiko looked up from the manga she was reading on her tablet and glanced our way. "Some answers are beyond even me," she said before shrugging and going back to her reading.

"I wasn't even asleep," I pointed out in a deadpan. "And it's after _five_ in the afternoon. The wake up would have been better ten hours earlier."

"Should _I_ be the one you're telling?" Aiko lifted one leg from the armrest of the chair and draped it over the backrest, her head getting closer to the other armrest.

"She _never_ listens to me," I reminded her.

"I'm right here, guys," Yuuki complained, rocking back and forth in what I assumed was annoyance. The problem was, the end result was that anyone looking in from the outside saw something definitely improper.

"Yuuki!" I squawked, squirming until I managed to get out from under her, somehow ending up on the floor without knocking Yuuki off of the couch. "Oof..."

She pouted. "What is it now?"

"You shouldn't do that," I said.

Her Pout - even though she hadn't fully recovered, the expression still deserved the capital letter - intensified. "Why not?"

"Because people might see!" I hissed. "We're in the living room!" Aiko giggled, wriggling around so that she was lying stomach down, halfway over the armrest with her legs swinging freely in the air. "What's so funny?" I asked, picking myself and sitting next to Yuuki. She immediately wrapped her arms around mine.

"Just, remembering something," Aiko said. "This feels really nostalgic..."

I winced. "Yuuki, a little tight."

"Sorry, Big Bro," Yuuki said contritely, before relaxing her grip. "But when are we gonna have-"

"Yuuki!" I cut off her off with a yelp, feeling my face burn. "Not until everyone's out of physical therapy!"

"But I wanna..."

My answer probably couldn't be classified as words. My next plea, on the other hand... "Aiko, please..."

She just looked over at me, raising a delicate eyebrow.

Even after all we'd been through, the only person with the chance to get Yuuki to restrain was her twin sister. "Please?" I asked.

She smiled, and I felt a rush of relief. "Nope." And then I felt like crying. "You brought this on yourself, ~Big Bro~," she said, singing her voice with the exact same tone Yuuki used before, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"Having fun?" I looked up from where I was sitting at Sugu, who was leaning over our couch. She had a smile on her face. "So, Kazuto, when are you going to get around to fulfilling our childhood promise to marry?" she said sweetly.

"I still don't remember making that promise," I said flatly, catching a glimpse of our mom standing behind Sugu.

Yuuki nuzzled against me. "Nuh uh! Big Bro's gonna marry me!" she said.

Our mom smiled, as if enjoying a private joke, and then said, "While I'm definitely happy for all of you, how about you give Kazuto some space before he overdoses on estrogen." I'm saved! Thanks, Mom. "And dinner's ready, you four."

A smirking Sugu and Aiko followed me to the dinner table, with a laughing Yuuki joining us not much later. "And," Mom added as I snagged my food, "once you four make a decision as to who's marrying Kazuto, I'll get the paperwork ready."

A piece of fish went down the wrong pipe as her words registered. "Mom!" I coughed, mortified. "That's-"

"-Completely alright, since we're _still_ not related," Aiko said with a shrug, eyes roaming over my body. A wide, Cheshire Cat-like smile was on her face.

I looked at Sugu. She blushed fiercely and focused on her food, stealing glances my way between each bite.

I let out a sigh, trying to ignore how hot my own ears felt. _Girls._

Still, though, I loved them all.

* * *

 **It's done! Finished!**

… **Huh. I actually finished a story in a manner that I'm somewhat satisfied with. Neat. That's new.**

 **Anyway! Moving on. Yes, Team Kiss x Sis formed a raid party the night before (:3). Then, cuddling ensued after all four of them were exhausted. I, uh, am not entirely sure where Argo came from, but I'll never say no to her. It was totally Sugu's fault that Argo had access to the house, too, in case anyone's wondering.**

 **(and if you haven't figured it out yet my over-the-top adoration of argo is like 90% a joke, i think she's a character with a hell of a lot of potential and her appearances in progressive are great but nowhere near the joking praise i heap on her. if i ever refer to a character as best *anything* it's a joke and that's cleared up now people can stop mentioning it)**

 **The meeting was deliberately cut short; I just kinda wanted to give Asuna some closure like I did with the other characters, before ending off the story. As for Heathcliff and Yuuki, I, um… Magic. It was magic. Word of Author. Yep. (don't think too hard about it, just roll with it, okay good great let's just keep going)**

 **The scene where Kazuto wakes up and then immediately walks around always made me twitch; after two years, it'd be nearly impossible to sit up and do all that stuff, let alone start walking around (let's just pretend catheters and other inserted tubes aren't things because of medical advances, i'm not dealing with that). Seriously, two years in a coma would fuck up your body real bad, and there's no way that his body would remember how to walk that quickly.**

 **And finally, the last scene might seem a bit familiar - I wanted to play with it a bit, so hey, here we are. Poor Yuuki, she just wants to go on a date... Kazuto's sister troubles might have ended, but that doesn't mean he's out of the woods just yet~**

 **(that's not a sequel hook, this story is finished)**

* * *

 **Looking back on the story, I'm actually kinda happy with it, though a lot of Arc 3 is a little awkward. Then again, I'm really terrible at writing actual relationships with people, so, uh… I tried…**

 **I am happy with how the story came out on a whole, still. I started this wanting to write a cute story focusing on only four characters with little to no action, and I'm pretty confident that's what I ended up writing. Your opinion might vary on quality, but... meh.**

 **Other than that, there were only a few scenes I wanted to write but didn't manage to fit into the final story, so that's pretty nice; one chapter got cut, because it didn't really fit with the flow of the story. It had the lead-up to the Argo reveal, but when I sat down to write the Argo point of view chapter I decided to do a little bit of a flashback over the course of their relationship, so the impact of the reveal would have been delayed half a chapter, losing any force it might have.**

 **It really was too bad. The first half of the dropped chapter had Kazuto getting dragged clothes-shopping for the girls, only to find out they'd be getting** _ **him**_ **a few dresses too (it was mostly an excuse to have the girls play around in different outfits and stun their big brother with how cute they looked, and to use the brick joke of Yuuki's Pout being able to convince Kazuto to do anything).**

 **Oh well. I have no regrets. (a single manly tear rolls down my cheek)**

* * *

 **I am continually floored by the support you all show me while I'm writing. Thank you all so much.**

 **Like, I wrote this mainly on a whim because I wanted to write something fluffy without putting too much thought into it. I found the snippet on the QQ thread, said, 'fuck it why not' and got to work.**

 **And it turned into this.**

 **Thanks for sticking around while I fumbled in the dark; and huge thanks to Mu-Sensei for writing the original snippet that gave me this idea.**


End file.
